King Xerxes (son of Darius) ruled over the 127 provinces of the great Persian Empire – stretching from India to Ethiopia, from his palace in the citadel of Susa. At a time of great festivities, the likes I have never heard about before or since, he sent for his queen, Vashti, requesting that she wear her crown and come and join him and his princes and officials at the party. He kind of wanted to show off her beauty a little … but she declined … leaving the king more than a little publicly scorned, which was not a good thing in those days. Anyway, thus started the search for Vashti’s replacement.

A contest was held throughout his Empire to find the new queen. It was a beauty pageant a lot more lavish than “Miss World” (Esther 1). Beautiful would be replacements for Vashti came to the palace from all over his Empire. Their preparations for the contest began at once. Each contestant was given beauty treatments for an entire year. The first six months their skin was rubbed with olive oil and myrrh and the last six months with perfumes and cosmetics. Then each contestant got to spend the night alone with King Xerxes. For this interview the contestant could wear whatever clothes and jewelry she thought best suited her – all chosen from the palace. In the evening each contestant would go to meet King Xerxes, and in the morning she was taken to stay with the rest of his wives. I guess that meant she was married – but not yet queen. The king could then request them to return for a second interview or often several subsequent interviews. (Is it just me or does this sound about how Hollywood operates?) Can you imagine how Playboy and the National Inquirer etc. would treat this competition were it held today – let alone Cosmopolitan, Red-book and others. Pity there is not much archival material about this pageant – it would sure get their readership to skyrocket! Hmmm …perhaps this story served as the inspiration for a certain TV show about a law office - except of course in the TV show the king becomes a woman lawyer.

Anyhow, some 4 years later (that’s 1,500 days …and some 1,500 awesome women later) the evening of Esther’s interview finally arrives. The Bible describes it best: “Xerxes liked Esther more than he did any of the other women. None of them pleased him as much as she did, and right away he fell in love with her and crowned her queen in place of Vashti” (Esther 2 17-18). Now notice the words “fell in love” and “right away” – that means what it says: “Love at first sight”. I Guess that puts to rest the modern (commonly accepted but obviously incorrect) theory that you need lots of sexual practice to develop the prowess to best please a man. You see, Esther was a Virgin – at least she was until that first interview was over. If she lived in modern times, she should have written a book (we sure would have published it) but alas, her secret went with her to the grave … or did it? I guess when you translate the ex-queen Vashti’s name from Persian to English you get: “v-S a-T s-U h-P t-I i-D” since it was Esther’s son ArtaXerxes who got to reign on the throne of Persia after his dad died. So what made the mighty Xerxes fall hopelessly in love with Esther … among such “red-hot” competition and on that very first encounter?

Now there are a few things you should know about Esther. She was the clear winner of this Empire wide beauty (and … ahem … lover’s) pageant, and she was also a young, orphaned Jewish woman. This is where God’s purpose for her becomes clear. You see, one of Xerxes’s top officials, Haman, wanted to do away with all Jews throughout the Empire – in fact he even got Xerxes to agree to it. (I think one of his sons must have moved to Austria and then on to Germany and his offspring successfully bred through the centuries that followed producing another “H”-named guy) Anyway, Esther used her King’s love for her to prevent that from happening, and before long, Haman was hanging from the very gallows he had constructed for Esther’s uncle Mordecai and the genocidal order against her people was rescinded. In fact they were given the right to eradicate any people with anti-Semitic aspirations. Mordecai, being the one who raised Esther after her parents died, got to be King Xerxes highest ranking official. Xerxes loved Esther dearly, and she remained his queen for life. Anyhow, here is the clincher: When in a competition with the most beautiful and seductive women in that entire Persian (and Mede) Empire, Esther won – not because of her considerable sexual exploits and lots of plastic surgery … but because God had wanted it that way !

This all makes for a classic Cinderella story. Imagine the auditions for the leading lady’s role in a blockbuster Hollywood production for which all the well known, talented and beautiful movie-stars audition … when along comes this young orphaned virgin from a small town in rural America, who has never acted before in her life - and gets the part ! Don’t you wish that just once this would happen nowadays ? Well, Esther proved that when you totally rely on God’s help and allow Him to guide your life - anything is possible ! But, let’s not forget, there was a divine purpose to her life – other than just her becoming queen !

So, this begs the question: “ Have you ever asked God to find your perfect mate? ” My wife and I did, those many years ago, and miraculously it worked for us too – but also for reasons of more than just romance. It was truly “Love at first sight”! (If you are in doubt, read our story below and judge for yourself) No, we did not get to interview 1,500 suitors, but even now some 30 years later, still no other would be “Prince” or “Princess” has ever succeeded in turning our heads – and with God’s continued blessing, it will stay that way. To be absolutely truthful, there was a time when we forgot about God and our dreams were very nearly shattered … but fortunately we remembered again - pretty fast!

So now that you know Esther’s beauty secrets and winning strategy … care to use it? God will answer your request but just ensure God knows your heart is pure and your intentions honorable and that this is not just one of those “One-sided” deals of convenience. The alternative is that by default that other guy gets to chose your mate for you … and apparently many of you have already found your mate from hell that way ?

Ok … so are any of you ladies orphans? Alone … your mom and/or dad died and you miss them terribly ? Perhaps you are part of a minority group ? Perhaps even a persecuted minority group ? Did you notice what God did for Esther ? Did you notice how all those lovely Persian ladies lost out to Esther in the game of love – and she got the King, and became his Queen ! Did you notice how God used Esther to carry out such an important mission – saving an entire people (his people) ? Did you notice how Esther’s children got to go on to be some of the most powerful and influential people in the world ? All this does not sound like failure to me … sounds like this is one woman who’s faith in God and beliefs should be emulated by all women.

To be sure, we are talking about a society which existed some 2,500 years ago and the norms and morals were a bit different back then – but the main point in this story is not that Xerxes got to audition 1,500 lovers to find his ideal mate (don’t’ try that at home ladies … or gents) - but rather that God made him swoon when Esther walked into the room. You know, I’m sure that God will help you too if, like Esther, you simply depend on Him - and ask for His help, then faithfully trust God – just like Esther did! Why am I so sure? Because God did this for us! However, do not be in a huge rush - let’s also not forget how long Esther had to wait for her audition for the part of queen. For my wife and I, it took almost 8 years. Anyhow, I hope I’ve convinced you that happy endings are possible with God at the center of your life. The alternative is not nice at all, you may want to read about Jezebel the queen of spades to see what I mean.

Esther is the clear choice for Queen of

The main characters in the life of Jezebel were all affected in one way or another by her evil deeds. She brought down God's curse on her entire family - hardly what a mother and wife (and person) should be doing. She totally controlled and manipulated her children, her husband, her friends, her priests and her subjects. Ahab was a weak willed man whom she completely dominated and led to do much evil (1 kings 21:25). She encouraged him and all of Israel to worship idols, while she personally made sure all the prophets of God (who she could catch) were killed. (1 Kings 18:4) She took good care of the prophets of Baal - giving then direct access to the throne. (1 Kings 18 and 19) Jezebel's domination of her husband was directly responsible for the whole nation of Israel falling into the sin of idolatry - as a result Israel suffered a terrible famine caused by the lack of rain. This was God's judgment. (1Kings 17)

When Elijah (in one of the most dramatic encounters in the Bible) killed all the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, Jezebel soon got on his case. She vowed to take his life! Elijah knew this was no empty threat and ran for his life. This mighty prophet of God, who raised the dead and who had called down fire from Heaven - and who easily makes Indiana Jones look like a wimp, soon became afraid and even quite depressed because of Jezebel's action ... to the point that he actually begged God to let him die! The spirit of Jezebel is so very intimidating and frightening that it led this mighty prophet of God to sit down under a broom tree in the dessert and say "I've had enough Lord, take my life; I am no better than my ancestors" and with that he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. So, here we find a very good biblical reference to depression. Any of you ever struggle with depression? You may want to read (1 Kings 19).

(1 Kings 18) Jezebel not only worshipped idols but also practiced witchcraft (2 kings 9:22). She portrayed the broadest spectrum of the forces of darkness of any biblical woman. Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth could have learned a thing or two from her. Why? Well for starters she did similar things - and much more! There was this man Naboth who owned a vineyard, and Ahab desired it - but Naboth refused to sell the king this piece of his family's property. So Ahab got depressed and took to sulking - like some spoiled child. Jezebel intervened (behind the King's back) and had Naboth killed (rather deviously) simply to meet Ahab's selfish needs. As King and Queen, it was hardly imperative that they own yet another vineyard! The Vineyard in question was just a toy for Ahab - it was a very much valued family property, with memories and income, for Naboth. At this point Jezebel herself was in charge of the nation of Israel. Ahab the king was simply her puppet. (1 kings 21)

If Jezebel were alive today, I'm convinced she'd make an excellent Mafioso - given her approach to real estate transactions. But her greater crime was promoting her Phoenician religion at the expense of the God of Israel - the one true God. Jezebel was quite a religious enthusiast though - some 450 priests of Baal ate at her table. Ever known such "very religious" people who were just plain rotten to the core? Well (regrettably) I have, they do exist.

God eventually sent Elijah to declare judgment on Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab was to die, and have dogs lick up his blood, and his descendants (sons) would be cut off from the throne of Israel (1 kings 21:17-22, 1 kings 22:29 - 40, 2 kings 10). As for Jezebel she was to be eaten by dogs and her remains were to be 'scattered as dung on the face of the earth' (1 kings 21: 23-28, 2 kings 9: 30 - 37). God's judgment caught up with them both, exactly as prophesied - first Ahab and then Jezebel. However, she lived for quite a while before God's judgment caught up with her. Apart from idol worship, witchcraft and sheer wickedness she also used the spirit of domination and seduction to get her ways - she was, by all accounts, a very beautiful woman. (2 kings 9:30). There is no record of Jezebel ever repenting. She did much evil.

The main lesson from her life is never to envy the workers of evil, no matter how well they seem to be doing. Evil people usually do live long. Our merciful God gives them every reasonable chance to repent, but destruction waits for them if they do not. In the end, for all of her evil, she ended up (as prophesied by Elijah) - as 'dog food' and 'fertilizer' (2 Kings 9:36-37), with no recognizable part of her left to enshrine. God completely wiped her, her sons and her prophets off the face of the earth! Some of her daughters survived. You may wish to read the story of one of the daughters of Ahab - Athalia (2 Kings 11) to see what a horrid person she was! She killed all but one of her grandchildren and almost destroyed the Messianic (Davidic) bloodline from which Jesus was to come. She installed herself as Queen and ruled for several years but ultimately was foiled by a very courageous woman, Jehosheba, who was her niece, and the surviving (Davidic) grandson was made King. It just goes to show, out of Ahab's family came good and evil ... we all have a free will and can chose to do good or evil. But, unfortunately, the spirit of Jezebel (and Ahab) lives on and every now and then we see or hear of another 'Jezebel and Ahab' somewhere ... they make a very cohesive and powerful ruling team together, but he is likely just the front man for her ambitions. Seen any examples lately ? Maybe even (from time to time) ruling the most powerful modern Empire on earth ? But why anyone (after reading the story of Jezebel) thinks evil pays is beyond me. She gives new meaning to the phrase "Short term (lifetime) gain ... for long term (eternity) pain". This is not a person to emulate! So much potential ... but what a complete and utter failure! Could have been so different though. Ironically, there is biblical evidence that Ahab did repent (1 Kings 21:25-29)

The original, contemporary name of this foreign queen of Israel is attested to on a ninth century scarab as Yzebel which means '[Baal] is prince'. However it is also written as a Hebrew word which sounds almost identical, but which means something which is actually very insulting, Ayzebel which means 'Where is the Sh--?'. Given her sorry end, the connection between this name and the last sentence in (2 Kings 37) becomes readily apparent: "the corpse of Jezebel will be like dung spread on the fields, so that no one will be able to say: This was Jezebel." - This indeed happened.

Jezebel did commit the unforgivable sin - she never repented of her wickedness and is today in Hell - forever! There was no state funeral, no shrine and most everyone (except the seriously twisted) thinks of her as a failure - as a person, as a woman, as a wife, as a mother and as a queen. The fact that she so firmly believed in what she was doing and that the way she was acting was absolutely "right", does not make it so. God tells us what is "Right" and "Wrong" - it's not the other way around.

It is not pleasant for me to discuss Jezebel. If you read her story in the bible (Kings 1 and 2) you will see that I have actually mostly only mentioned her good points. This person brings disgrace to women, and I'd like to think of her as an imposter - some kind of alien, but certainly not a woman. She definitely was no lady ! Imagine meeting someone very much similar to her (right down to the Naboth type incident) and becoming part of her family. For our family this is a very personal story. You see, I married 'a modern Jezebel and Ahab's daughter' and I'm not being nasty here. Like Elijah, it almost cost me my love, my happiness - and my life, and like Jezebel's children and grandchildren, it nearly destroyed my wife's life and that of our children. These people are downright dangerous, totally self-absorbed, manipulative, extremely overbearing and a law unto themselves - and they hurt a lot of people. Don't be one and don't hang out with one.

Jezebel is the only choice for Queen of Spades since with her actions she dug so many people's graves - including one's for her family and one for herself - and promptly fell into it !

That wasn’t the only "bathing" going on … at exactly that time, a young gorgeous beauty was bathing on the roof of her house – in clear view of David, still on the palace roof. One can only imagine the scene, but I believe the painting above does some justice to it – from David’s perspective that is, since she is apparently all he could concentrate on ! Now, this was springtime and with all that testosterone rising up in this warrior king, and him not in battle, things were bound to get a little racy … and they did.

Filled with lust for this beautiful woman, David immediately sent someone to find out more about her. It turns out, she was Bath-sheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of one of his warriors, Uriah (the Hittite) now at the front lines where general Joab was besieging the port city of Rabbah – the place where David should have been also. It is important for us to remember that David, as king, could have had any woman for his wife - but David wanted Bath-sheba, another man’s wife.

Without thinking it through, David acted on his desires and sent for Bath-sheba. What happens next is not terribly well described, but it is apparent that Bath-sheba was not an unwilling participant. David and Bath-sheba’s legendary love affair had now started and, as always, this campaign of theirs was fraught with more dangers than the war he should have been fighting in instead. Just like with Caesar and Cleopatara, David and Bath-sheba clearly were very attracted to one-another – there was a lot of electricity in the air surrounding these two lovers and, as often happens, Bath-sheba became pregnant with his child.

Now this was a problem. You see, when Uriah left for the front, his wife was having her period. This would tend to indicate to most men (even the dumbest) that he had nothing to do with her becoming pregnant. So, there was no way of surprising poor old Uriah with the “wonderful news that he is soon going to be a daddy!” when he returned from battle. Bath-sheba made this all quite clear to David, who then formulated a plan.

He sent for Uriah, inquired how the war was going, and suggested that Uriah go and visit with his wife and relax some before going back to war. The idea was simple “Uriah, you’ve been gone at war for some time now, you have a stunningly gorgeous wife … what comes to mind ?” Now unfortunately for all concerned, Uriah was more principled than David would have hoped. He refused to go and visit with his wife! (“Principled” is rather charitable – “Dumb” is more appropriate) His reasoning was this: “With all the sacrifice going on in the front lines by my buddies, it is pretty mean of me to be enjoying the company of my wife”.

Now David had a problem! So he invited him for dinner … got him all soused up and sent him off towards his home – on the assumption that “Absence may make the heart grow fonder … but liquor is quicker”. Many guys have found this to work with their dates, but unfortunately for all concerned, Uriah just simply went and passed out on the front steps of his house. He would not go in ! Pretty frustrated with Uriah’s lack of co-operation, David now sent him back to the battle with sealed orders for general Joab. Joab followed David’s orders and placed Uriah in a life threatening situation, and then withdrew all support for him. To put it plainly, David had him killed to cover up their love affair.

Bath-sheba, not knowing what David had done, took the news badly, and went into mourning. However, after she was reconciled to the fact that Uriah was no longer in her life, David sent for her and she and he were married. Two lovers, finally together … and now seemingly legally. Of course, God was not sitting there covering his eyes when all of this was happening. He sent Nathan, His prophet, to confront David over this whole "affair". David had now broken the 6th, 7th , 9th and 10th commandments of God. Now, that’s 4 out of 10 commandments of God! I guess it’s game over for David and likely for his new wife … off to Hell for them ? No … you’re wrong. David, realizing that God was displeased with his actions confessed his sins before God and was genuinely sorry for them. God, speaking through Nathan, told David that while their sin’s were forgiven and would not be held against them, their “love-child” would not live and from now on his family would never again be at peace.

All happened as the Lord had decreed. I guess there is a price to pay for having a love affair. Many people (often very innocent one’s) get hurt as a result, but this is NOT the unforgivable sin! You can read most of the story in (Samuel 11 and 12)

My own family has been touched by this sin and I have seen it’s pain first hand. You see, my maternal grandfather had an affair with a young woman when my grandma was in her early 40’s. My mother was 7 when my grandma, his childhood sweetheart, simply took their children and left … broken-hearted, unable to deal with the hurt and rejection. By the time my mother was 12, my grandma was dead of cervical cancer – at age 49. The Centers for Disease Control reports that the sexually transmitted HPV virus is responsible for as much as 93% of all cases of cervical cancer. Most women infected with HPV never develop cervical cancer, but those women that do develop cervical cancer are usually infected with the HPV virus. So, my maternal grandfather’s infidelity very likely also ended up costing my grandmother, Maria, her life … and left my mother an orphan. Her dad’s new wife (the wicked step-mother) wanted nothing to do with her and her brother and she was raised (till age 16) by an older sister and her husband, at which time she moved into the YWCA and later met my dad and married him, when she was 20. My mother had 5 siblings and my dad 9. As a result I had many cousins – on both sides of the family. On my Dad’s side of the family, there was almost no history of adultery and divorce. Excluding our family, Only my Dad’s youngest brother got divorced (that’s 9 siblings and more than 40 cousin’s marriages with a 100% success rate – pretty astounding really). Contrast that with my mother’s side of the family where 2 out of every three of us cousins (in every family) got divorced, some more than once – that’s a 66% failure rate. I am the lucky (blessed) 1 out of the 3 of us siblings that is still with his childhood sweetheart – and by the way, though I never knew her, even I can see that I look exactly like my grandma Maria ! My Aunt’s husband (the one’s who were raising my mother), contacted my grandpa when my grandma lay close to death in hospital, and he came to visit her. They were reconciled on her deathbed – him acknowledging what a stupid idiot he had been and how she was still his first and only true love, though he likely did not know that he also caused her death. His second wife was barren – she never could conceive, and died a bitter lonely old lady – not mourned for (or missed) by anyone … and not even his acknowledged true love.

It’s pretty obvious why God intended us to be faithful in love and marriage. God knew what hurts could arise and because God loves us so very much and cares genuinely about our happiness, He commands that “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “Thou shalt not covet your neighbors wife”. The alternatives are not good. Do we all get tempted at some time to break these (and others) of his commandments ? Why yes … else we would not really have a free will. Will we give in to temptation ? That is a matter between us, God and Satan. We choose … we are not forced by either God or Satan to do anything. There is no such thing as “The devil made me do it” … we choose to do it ! Yes, the thrill of having a love affair is one of life’s all time highs, but we do not have to participate. We must think of the others who could be hurt by our actions - even the other would be participant in “the affair”.

However, John the Baptist did'nt. He openly criticized Herod and Herodias, as Elijah had done to Ahab and Jezebel. Both of these proud people did not like John and would have preferred to see him dead, but Herod was wary enough of the people (who considered John a prophet) that he did nothing - other than gnash his teeth and put up with Herodias's nagging him to "do something about that thorn in the side" - John. Once again, the same as before with Ahab and Jezebel and Elijah.

Bear with me ... this "family affair" is about to get quite a bit more complicated - with Herod's to the left and to the right, and pretty much everywhere ... and the whole family seemingly marrying each other! I guess you can say: "They really loved themselves and each other ..." but that soon will become even more apparent.

Well, Herodias's daughter, Salome, who ended up marrying her granduncle (the other) Philip - also a king and also the son of Herod the Great and who ruled in the northern territories, was one truly sexy woman and a very gifted dancer - and we ain't talking about "the Waltz" here! Before she married Philip - while she was "of marriageable age", she was, on the occasion of his birthday, persuaded to dance for "uncle Herod" (Herodias's second husband Herod that is, not her dad, Herod Philip, Herodias's first husband and also not Philip, her soon to be husband). Well, uncle Herod was so taken with this young girl (big surprise) and her lascivious dancing (basically this means 'very sexy') that he promised her "anything she would ask for - up to half of his kingdom" as a "thank you gift" for her wonderful dancing - but knowing him, by "gift" he was probably meaning " Himself ". Well now, this was kind of like a Genie giving you only one wish! So, it's time to go and consult with Mama ... Uncle Herod's wife that is - if you're keeping track of all of the familial relationships.

Now an important bit of information: Jesus (living and conducting God's work amongst his people at the time) himself told his disciples that John the Baptist, was Elijah - returned to pave the way for the Messiah. (Matthew 17:10-13). What is more is that the circumstances surrounding John's conception and birth were almost identical to that of Jesus. Mary's cousin Elizabeth, was infertile. Both her and her husband were from the priestly tribe of Aaron, and he was a priest. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him while on duty in the temple and told him that Elizabeth would bear a child - that must be given the name "John" and that he would be great in the sight of the Lord and will be filled with the Holy Spirit - even from birth. The angel, by the way, was Gabriel, Heaven's arch-angel, and he went on to say that John would bring many people back to their Lord - God, and that he would go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way for Jesus. (Full story in Luke 1:5-25). So now lets return to the banquet hall ...

While Uncle Herod was sitting there, probably expecting a "Take me for your wife please uncle ... " answer - just a wild guess on my part, Salome comes back into the banquet room (accompanied by Mama Herodias) and there in front of all the guests - those that had witnessed Herod promise her "anything", she asks Herod for ... John the Baptist's head on a platter !

Now, the Bible says: "The King was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in prison. His head was brought back in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it over to her mother". (Matthew 14:3-11)

I can tell you exactly how Herodias re-acted ... with great satisfaction! She was a scheming, controlling manipulator - ruthless and with no respect for God, her husbands (the kings), men in general or God's Prophets. She used her own (and her daughter's) sensuality as a means of control - to garner power and wealth and live the good-life, with absolutely no care or concern for people outside of her own rather incestuous familial sphere. Ever seen any people like this before in our modern society ? She was a queen of Israel (twice over actually) and death and killing were in her genes. This obviously was the Spirit of Jezebel living on - Herodias was Jezebel's spiritual heir. Jezebel had finally delivered on her promise to kill Elijah for his criticisms of her and her family - then and now. She had got even for now ... but the war continues! How do I know ? Well not long after John The Baptist was beheaded, Jesus (in a scene called the Transfiguration) goes up a high mountain with Peter, James and John, and transfigures there - in front of their very eyes ... His face shining as the sun, his clothes appearing like light - and who should appear to meet with him? Moses and Elijah! There on that mountain, they conferred. (Matthew 17:1-13) But who else lives on? Why Jezebel of course ... Don't know about you, but I'm squarely on the side of Elijah !

If all this is beginning to sound a little weird, consider this: (Revelations 2: 18-29) speaks of Jezebel (and from it's description there's no mistaking who this is It is the Jezebel of old - somehow returned) and warns about listening to her and following her ways. Judging from the fact that the Holy Sprit can be divided amongst many of the faithful (a fundamental fact in Christianity) - without diminishing it, it is apparent that the same is true for the Spirits of Elijah and Jezebel ... and likely many others. This is a very common sense principle actually. This page you are reading now is being simultaneously read and intellectualized by people all around the world - without diminishing it, and any computer program (game, word-processor etc.) can be simultaneously executing on millions of machines around the world (the same code making all those computers do similar things) without diminishing it. If you kind of think of us people as similar to "computers" and these spirits as the "code/programs" it is not difficult to see how people then can portray much the same characteristics as those that have been before. What you do not want is one of these 'rogue programs ( a virus ? ) ' executing it's 'instructions' inside of you ! What you need, is the spiritual equivalent of a virus scanner ... the Holy-Sprit, to be resident inside of you, else you will be susceptible to these rogue spirits.

So, once again though, this spirit of Jezebel living on in the bodily form of Herodias, was just as reprehensible as before! There is no evidence that she had changed her stripes and the Jezebel spirit seems as stubbornly evil, initially, then and now and even, as prophesied in the book of Revelations - will still be in the future! This is not a spirit to ask for any portion of - let alone a double portion. In plain English, do not try and emulate Jezebel and Herodias. They were Hellish fiends ... and not any credit to womankind! Just like Jezebel before her, there is no evidence that Herodias ever repented of her sins, and she died that way - thus committing the unforgivable sin - being hostile to God and His prophets (and to Jesus by the way) without ever changing. As such, she too went to hell - but once again, her daughter and descendants lived on, and the Spirit of Jezebel was not quashed and remains active and destructive, even to this day!

What a contrast to all the wonderful woman we have met and talked about in our visit together. Of course, men can be (and are) real stinkers too - and there are many examples of evil spirits (as bad or worse) that they are susceptible to - but we do want to keep talking about woman here ... after all, besides the fact that women are much more intriguing, this is a site dedicated to women.

Herodias is the natural choice for Queen of Clubs