Matthew 12:45 529-1 - 8 - 6

Matthew 12:43-44, “43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44, “Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.” 

While it seems that Jesus was speaking to His generation, is He contrasting it with Israel? Is it a summary of the past, present, and future of unbelieving Israel in parable form?

The man is a type the Jewish nation returning from the Babylon captivity, cured of his/ Israel’s idolatry. In the book of Ezra, we read of the temple being finished and dedicated. Ezra 6:19, "And the children of the captivity kept the Passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month." There had been Israelite's who had married foreign (strange wives). In the past, foreign wives were a portal to idolatry, so they were “put aside” in obedience to God.

In the many attempts to rebuild the temple, there were attack made as the walls had been destroyed. Nehemiah was allowed to return to Jerusalem and organize the rebuilding Jerusalem's walls.

From the end of the captivity to the present, the Jewish people have not been idol-worshipers, rather like a house that is empty, swept, and put in order. Sadly, when the Messiah presented himself He was rejected. Although many still hold to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Israel has become increasingly secular.

Matthew 12:45, “Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”

Does “last state” refer to the end days, when an apostate nation/ world will worship the Antichrist? The tribulation follows the end of the church age and is a period in which God works to bring Israel to faith. The nation (house) of Israel will be filled with idolatry and unspeakable evil. Although unbelieving Israel will suffer the judgments of the Great Tribulation, a remnant of Israel will take refuge in Petra during the second half of the tribulation.

Just a sample of the Tribulation during which there will demonic locusts with a king whose named Abaddon.

Revelation 9:2-3, “2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”

Revelation 9:7-10 provides a horrific image of these demonic locusts. They had hair like women's, lion-like teeth, armor-like iron breastplates, making them impossible to destroy. They will have tails like scorpions, the sting of which will cause five months of unrelieved suffering and death will be impossible.

Lesson learned from Matthew 12:43-45, clear your house of unclean spirits and keep your house (Israel and/ or the individual) free of unclean spirits by the acceptance and protective covering of Jesus.

Christians and demonic possession 529-1 - 6 - 6

As an aside, I compare demonic possession to being abducted by what are called aliens and who are, in my opinion, demons from another dimension. There's a theory, one I believe, that Christians can only be abducted if they give consent.

I took a survey in two Bible studies that I attend asking the straight forward question, “Do you think a Christian can be demon possessed? A simple yes or no question about being possessed. Nevertheless, two men stated that there is a difference between being obsessed and possessed. Yes, of course, there is a difference; to be obsessed is to be preoccupied and to be possessed is to be controlled. For a minute I thought we were going to get into a discussion of how many angels can dance on head of a pin. Finally, there was 100% agreement that Christian cannot be possessed unless they invite demons into their life.

A Ouija board can be a gateway by which a demon will possess a person. The late Jane Roberts was using a Ouija board when an entity jumped on it named Seth. Ms. Roberts wrote many best-selling books purchased by many. She wrote entertaining fiction, however, I found that the books she channeled from Seth to be unintelligible.

Mary Magdalene met Jesus, Mark 16:9, “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils (G1140).” After that Mary Magdalene became a follower of Jesus and never again was there any mention of her having demons.

James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils (G1140) also believe, and tremble”

G1140, a demon or super natural spirit (of a bad nature): - devil.; a daemonic being; by extension a deity: - devil, god.

As an aside, even demons believe in the existence of God and fear their eventual punishment/ destination. Matthew 8:29, “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” The demons asked, “If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.” The demons entered the swine they “ran violently down a steep place into the sea and perished in the waters.” The swine could not be possessed without permission from Jesus. Just as demons cannot possess Christians unless invited in.

Mark 3:28-29, “28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:”

Here Temple leaders committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus of casting out demons by demonic power when it was through the power of the Holy Spirit. They not only rejected Jesus, they referred to the Holy Spirit as a demon. Little sins and not so little sins and all kinds of sins can be forgiven but not the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, this is an eternal sin.

Christians do not become possessed by demons unless they first invite them in. Ouija boards are one of the tools used by demonic forces to enter someone's life. The best cure is prevention. Do not allow the occult into your homes thereby exposing your unbelieving family members to demonic entities.

Yes, demons exist, stay prayed up! 531-1 - 8 - 4

Demons “believe and tremble” (James 2:19):

– They recognized—and acknowledged – his deity;

– They believed in a future judgment  (Mt 8:29) and in a place of future torment (v.31) in the abousso;

 – They also believed in prayer: they beg Jesus to not send them into the abousso; but rather into the pigs. (Demons can’t enter animals without permission?)

[CM’s, The Gospel of Luke]

During a Hebrew (before Jesus) exorcism the demon had to identify himself. As a result, exorcism of a deaf person was impossible for all, that is all but Jesus. Exorcising an unnamed demon was evidence of the Messianic authority of Jesus.

During the tribulation, there will demonic locusts with a king whose named Abaddon.

Rev 9:2-3, “2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” [KJV] 

“Revelation 9:8-10 With hair like women's, they were attractive and seductive. With lion-like teeth, they were ferocious and cruel. With armor-like iron breastplates, they were difficult to attack and destroy. With wings that made a great sound, they were terrifying and demoralizing. Tails like scorpions equipped them to torture both physically and mentally. Their power ... to hurt men five months meant unrelieved suffering.”

[Believer’s Bible Commentary]

I’ve owned acreage in a rather remote area in northeastern Arizona for about 20 years. For the last several years, I spend my summers there. Before that I spend little time there and a good friend often stayed on the property. The few times I stayed there I slept in a trailer and was awaken by a knock on the door. At breakfast, I asked my friend why he was knocking on the trailer door in the middle of the night. Oops, not him. I left a few days later I think for Michigan so my friend moved into the trailer. Later he told me he also heard knocking.

There was not a presence of evil rather something that didn’t belong. My friend has long since moved into an apartment and the trailer stayed empty for years. I now spend six months on my property but in another newer trailer. No knocking, however, if I feel things are not quite right I say something like “I repudiate anything not of God in the name of Jesus, not of myself but through the blood of Jesus.”

Demon are real and can enter a host body. Best defense is to stay prayed up. President Trump was prayed into the office of the POTUS. The extreme reactions of Hillary’s people seem demonically inspired. There are people with wild, distorted faces making nearly inhuman sounds. I, like many other, pray for the protection of President Trump, his family and administration.

1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”