“And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebub [Satan],’ and, ‘by the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.’ So He called them to Him and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.’” Mark 3:22-27.

The first half of this study was posted on 3-8-24 as “A House Divided, Part 1” and was, for the most part, background for this final section which continues the coverage of Mark 3:7-30. This study will now go to the heart of the matter.

In their pettiness and with a total lack of evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the Lord the scribes (from Jerusalem) show their enmity by blaspheming Jesus.

If you examine the current U.S. presidential race carefully you will see the same demonic tactics being used. These centuries old tactics are used by Satan because they work.

For a similar use of these tactics see the story of the murder of Naboth and his sons so King Ahab could steal his vineyard in 1 Kings 21:1-29 and 2 Kings 9:24-26, and the death of wicked King Ahab 1 Kings 22:1-40, and for the vengeance God exacts on queen Jezebel see 2 Kings 9:1-37.

The name Beelzebub (or Beelzebul) is uncertain, either Lord of the flies, or of dung, or filth. The thing that is certain is that this is a reference to Satan himself because he is called the ruler of the demons.

While Jesus is referring to Satan being divided against himself, there are some things which need to be considered carefully. “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”

Think of the civil wars and revolutions that have torn nations apart over the centuries. Even America’s civil war, 1861-1865, nearly destroyed us.

And now with our federal government actively ignoring the Constitution and working against the will of its citizens we again have a kingdom divided against itself.

In the case of Israel after the death of King Solomon in 930 B.C. the people came to his son King Rehoboam and made a simple request; lighten the load of work that your father put upon us, ease the burdens, and we will serve you forever, see 1 Kings 12.

So the son of the wisest man who ever lived consulted with the older advisors of his father, who told him to grant their wish; he then consulted his pals. You can imagine what these dim bulbs advised him to do.

“Then I [King Solomon] hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 2:18-19.

After King Rehoboam denied the people’s request the kingdom split into what is generally called, the Kingdom of Judah, under Rehoboam and the Kingdom of Israel (or the Northern Kingdom), under a man named Jeroboam.

The Northern Kingdom never had any good kings until they were carried off by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. The Kingdom of Judah had some good to very good kings; still Judah was carried off in 587 B.C. by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar.

The French Revolution, 1789-1799, was a convoluted mess, the populace’s hatred of the privilege of the clergy and royalty, feudalism, taxes, and a poor harvest which increased the burden on the population. The results were chaotic with despots taking over the government and murdering some 40,000 of their own people.

Royalty’s air of privilege and lack of compassion for those who financed their lavish lifestyles and a godless clergy divided them from the people creating an atmosphere of a kingdom divided.

Our own American Civil War was also caused by division. Simply put, the North desired to abolish slavery; while the South whose economy depended on it wanted to retain it.

Bear in mind though that the rich slave owners were in the minority, but they were rich. The majority of farmers had to pick their own cotton.

More importantly, it is a forgotten and rarely mentioned fact that the South mainly rebelled because the federal government was treading on their states rights guaranteed to them by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Ironically, the Tenth Amendment is completely ignored by the federal government today even after the deaths of more than 620,000 soldiers (both north and south) to defend it.

Still slavery is the greatest act of villainy this country has ever committed; along with our shameful treatment of the indigenous tribes which were here when the first settlers arrived.

There are those in our government today who are creating division along the lines of race, religion, politics, or economy. This is an old communist trick.

In order to persuade a population that communism is necessary, that population must first be made dissatisfied with their present government. Once that is accomplished, division begins to devour the country’s own legitimate government.

The Russian Revolution, 1917-1922, is not unlike the French Revolution; while there are many complicated reasons for it, basically it comes down to Tsar Nicholas II and his unwillingness to make reforms which would have eased the burdens of the populace.

Burdens which were placed on the farmers reducing their profit from the labor of their hands and at the same time (World War I) wartime inflation increased the cost of goods that they had need of, decreasing their incentive to produce enough crops to satisfy the demands of those in the cities.

City dwellers worked in factories that were unsafe, unsanitary, and antiquated for 10 hours a day 6 days a week, and by 1916 they were working 11 or 12 hours a day at bare minimum wages.

There were many other reasons for this upheaval and the divisions were seized upon by an evil man named Lenin and the world has suffered ever since.

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:25.

A home can be divided too, sometimes by a cold overbearing, or alcoholic father; a self-centered mother, or rebellious children.

The divorce rate tells us that there are many unhappy homes. Broken homes create broken children which in turn begins a vicious circle with the losers not just being families, but the nation which depends on the stability of families to function properly.

Behind all this is the god of this world, who does not want it to function with near clockwork perfection.

Satan desires chaos to reign in a world that God gave to us in pristine condition.

“The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10.

Do not be deceived, Satan cares nothing for mankind, he wishes only to destroy men and send them to hell, this includes the Satanists who serve him.

Let it be known that nobody, including Satan, is going to rule in hell or the lake of fire! It will be a pointless, absolutely meaningless existence for eternity!

Satan gives his followers, including witches (and white witches) and sorcerers along with the Satanists, power; but it is an illusion which leads them to hell with everyone else.

These very things that Jesus is talking about to the scribes are the tactics that Satan uses to divide and conquer.

He divides nations, homes, churches, Satan is the great divider, remember this when he comes into your home, or church, and you will know where the disruption is coming from.

Worldly people will disagree and tell you that the world will be at peace if we just coexist.

We will have peace when socialism rights all wrongs.

We will have peace when communism envelopes the world.

We will have peace when Islam conquers the world.

We will have peace if we just hold hands and love one another.

We will have peace when the Antichrist brings us all together as one world.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27.

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.

“And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.” Mark 3:26.

Always remember, he is lifted up in pride and he may or may not be insane, or in denial, but he is not stupid; he will not use his own tactics on himself.

Never underestimate this person. And never forget that we have a refuge from him.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’” Psalm 91:1-2.

“No one can enter a strong man’s [Satan’s] house and plunder his goods [Jesus did], unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.” Mark 3:27.

There is no comparison between the power of Jesus and Satan, unless you want to compare the popping of a soap bubble next to a hydrogen bomb, a very, very big hydrogen bomb.

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” – because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’” Mark 3:28-30.

The Amplified New Testament renders these words “because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit’” as “they persisted in saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit…’” This gives an insight on the unpardonable sin.

It was not as if they said it once or twice to annoy the Lord, or theoretically that He had an unclean spirit, rather that they persisted in saying this in spite of the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon them that it was wrong to credit Satan with the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ.

This highlights the underlying attitude of their hearts which were hardened against all conviction by the Holy Spirit and underlies their words. This heart hardened into determined resistance to God tells of an unchangeable eternal condition.

For those worried about the unpardonable sin remember that a foolish, simple statement against the Holy Spirit is not unpardonable if one repents.

Scripture plainly teaches us that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin; however, a person with a malicious, fixed, unrepentant and defiant bias against the work of the Holy Spirit in their life shows an unyielding heart condition.

Let us make a ridiculous hypothetical case: A Christian is talking to a drunk, and as he does so these passages are seen by the drunk; the drunk then says, “How do I know that the scribes weren’t right? What if Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub? Who is to say that is not true?”

The drunk awakens the next day, now sober; he remembers his blasphemous words and says, “Oh, no, I committed the unpardonable sin!”

The question is, did he knowingly reject the urgings of the Holy Spirit like the scribes, or was he just drunk?

Is he an unrepentant and defiant rejecter of God? Was his intent to blaspheme God or just to argue with the person talking to him? Does he sound like he feels the same way sober?

An unsaved person cannot just blaspheme the Spirit in a moment of mental vacuity; they must seriously and consistently hate and reject God.

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10.

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another [build up].” Romans 14:19.

“Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…” Hebrews 12:14.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion [fellowship] of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” 2 Corinthians 13:14

A House Divided, Part 2 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 12-1-18, updated on 3-11-24 ck.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.