JESUS AND BEELZEBUL (MATT 12:22-32)
"Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long. And any town or family that divides itself into groups which fight each other will fall apart.
So if one group is fighting another in Satan's Kingdom, this means that it is already divided into groups and will soon fall apart! You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. Well, then, who gives your followers the power to drive them out? What your own followers do prove that you are wrong! No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me, the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.
If in the Kingdom of God everyone of its members were selfish and prideful, they would surely fight among themselves, yet that was not so. All members of God's Kingdom are supposed to be like Jesus Christ, in His Human and Divine Nature. Yet! Only our Blessed Virgin Mary, who was the New Eve, was fully given the merit by God to inherit the perfect and un-corroded human body. All the angels and saints of heaven looked up to Mary us their queen, including those still veiled by the sinful flesh on earth. All shall join, united with Mary in hearts, souls and spirits, whom, in this wholesome oneness would unite with Jesus, even though her Son, was her spouse in the Name of the Holy Spirit. The purified Bride, join with those still under purification on earth and purgatory, in turn unites with her Groom, Jesus Christ, like the relationship of Holy Matrimony. They shall have one heart, mind, soul, Spirit and Will. What a perfect combination, filled with the Holy Spirit! All shall join with God, through the merit of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who breaks the slavery and rules of the sinful Jewish religious leaders.
What about the Devil? In the tiny Kingdom of the Devil of which this territory was only leased out and God would claimed them as His very own, once the Devil leasehold was terminated at the end of time, at Jesus, the Lord of creation's Second Coming. The Devil was allowed to station themselves in hell and extend further to the neutral zone, between the Kingdom of God and the Devil. This is a very chaotic zone of pulling force, whereby the devil would tried to drag Man into their domain of hell, whereas God, gently knock on our hearts' door, providing us with security, comfort and help. The Freewill of Man played a crucial role, for our personal salvation or destruction.
The Devil works hand in hand, with all his instruments and slaves, all had to yield to their master, the fallen angel, 'Beezebul'. They would be cruelly torture and punish, if ever they rebelled against their leaders plan. All works as slaves, without any sign of hope or true consolation. Their false consolation, as their hope and visions, were similar to that of the Devil, was to see to the destruction of God's Kingdom on earth. All were destined to suffer hopelessness, in the eternal fire of hell, for all eternity. This fire, of evil, contradicts the fire of holiness. These are the two different versions of 'the yeast'. One is to build the Kingdom of God, which belongs to God's Spirit, whereas the other the destruction of God's Kingdom on earth, which belongs to the Devil and his spirit. The worst eternal suffering would happen after their 'food' and place of refuge, were withdrawn completely from them. Their food, was to consume what belongs to God, that was to do the will of their chief angel of darkness.
God had prepared their suffering, by saying, 'sulfur' would be added, of which pain and agony greater than what they experience now, would be their forthcoming punishment.
Jesus was accused of being the agent of the Devil 'Beezebul', even while all His public ministry, He had never shown to work towards fulfilling the plan of the Devil. To the Jewish Authority, whom, considered themselves pleasing before God's sight, would surely considered anyone trying to do away with their authority and teaching, the Devil's agent. Yet Jesus was here to overthrow the Devil domination in the Chosen people of God and the world.
No one breaks into a strong man's house and takes away his belongings unless he first ties up the strong man; then he can plunder his house.
Anyone who is not for me is really against me, anyone who does not help me gathers is really scattering. For this reason I tell you: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven - now or ever.
The works and function of the devil and sin were to reverse what is perfect. God created man to be perfect: physically, spiritually and mentally. Jesus is the co-creator. He has the power and authority from the Father to make good what the devil had reverse.
Is He the Son of David?
After witnessing such an amazing person.... They had never seen before, He must be the one the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied. They were expecting a Messiah from the descendants of David, greater than David. Now their very eyes had seen a person so powerful and supernatural, He must be the one. When the Pharisees heard this they were angry. It was a great insult against God to accept this humble man of Nazareth to be the Messiah. A Messiah to them must be a highly respected man, with kingly position, wealthy, with power and authority that people, especially the Romans and Gentiles would fear. But they were ashamed of Jesus. He was the laughing stock of the Romans and Gentiles. They considered Him an outcast, eating with people they considered unclean, mixing and enjoying in the company of sinners and tax collectors. He was not like the Jews who obeyed without question the Law of the Temple.
It is better to accuse Him of being the chief demon's instrument rather than God's instrument. They just can't accept Jesus as, a man pleasing to God. To be pleasing to God He had to be like them. To obey every detail of the useless part of the Law but their hearts were far from God.
Even when accused Jesus was very calm and even explained to them gently. Those who had eyes and ears would hear and see but not those who were spiritually blind, and deaf. The Scribes and Pharisees chose spiritual blindness instead of sight. They prefer not to see and acknowledge Jesus as Son of God.
God works marvels and wonders through the Holy Spirit, by calling people through Jesus Christ to be His Instrument and presence in this world. Therefore let not man judge the will and authority of God at work in His chosen people, God may call, a person to be in the line of priesthood, religious, or any ordinary human beings on earth to be consecrated as His Instruments for His purpose on earth. As a whole God meant for our personal salvation or holiness, before He made us Instruments for the salvation of others. God does not want to let sin destroy His purpose for us. Therefore, it is not so much how powerful we are, but how holy and useful, we are to God. Yes! Indeed. God's obedience Children would bears, much fruits, yet! God is so concerned with the health of the tree and the quality of fruit, the tree is yielding. In this present society we too face a great problem which is similar to Jesus' time.
Jesus Christ brings the Kingdom of God down to earth. During the conception, He is God, incarnate into the womb of His Blessed Mother Mary. Even while still enclosed, physical in her womb, Jesus blessed and anointed John the Baptist, to be His herald, before He began His public ministry, as Elizabeth said, 'the baby in my womb, leap for joy...'. Even at the early age of twelve, He spoke with great wisdom, authority and power. He was filled with overflowing knowledge and understanding, that superseded that of the wisest teachers of laws, elders and Temple chiefs. He spoke, with great eloquent, acted and had power of God, which amazed and puzzled them. But they had not found out the real background of this kid, Jesus Christ.
'No one can break into a strong man's house and take away his belongings unless he first tied up the strong man, then he can plunder his house'.
The demon cannot take hold of a man unless God is absent. If God who is the owner of the house is present, the devil will fear and dares not disturb the house tenant, his family and belongings. No one has the power to tie God down. He is to the demon the most feared being. It's unthinkable that the demons can come near God. They will surely flee in shame.
When the house is empty and God is not there, then the soul will be pushed to a corner. Souls are God's breath. The devil can then have a great party in that house, tormenting the souls and the pure human spirits. The demon paralyzes, the man's mind, heart and soul. He can no longer function as an ordinary human being, as he is under the control of foreign and evil spirits, who had become master of his life.
This man is blind and dumb as the evil spirit has taken over him. Satan and his armies are evil spirits, of which they would only be manifested in time and space through, infiltrating or possessing an instruments of the earth. They can be in the form of natures, which caused great disasters and havoc. In the mind, heart and the spirit of man, they cause imperfection, cruelty, brutality, ruthlessness, vicious, perversion and as a whole the once perfect and holy human's character, will and instinct were eroded of which we can clearly see in the world today. In what was once good and perfect; harvested mental, physical and spiritual sickness and enslavement. The mind, heart and soul, seemed to have different wills which once lived in co-ordination to fulfill the will of God, for us, was turned to fulfill the sinful desires of the flesh and the devil. They can cause abnormalities in contrast to perfection when God is in control. All man sin and fall short the glory of God. No matter how good we are, in the eye of God, no one can claim to be holy. Among sinners, we may be good, but among God, His angels and saints we are far from good, what more to say perfect. The fact is, any goodness and what still remain wholesome in our lives, is the very nature of God living in us. It is a Gift from God, or Grace of which none in this world could possibly boast about it. When we start self-praising and boasting; beware! it is the Devil that tried to steal from God and glorify himself. It is the work of our sinful natures that dwell in cohesion with the devil that snatch the glory that was only reserved for God for himself. This is falsehood and deceitful.
Why 'himself' and not 'themselves'? The source of all evil comes from the first fallen and once angel of God, we called 'Lucifer'. He used various evils and sinful smart tactics to destroy God's plan, yet He can never does that, not even until the end of time. He used his servants and slaves, in the forms of devils or angels of darkness, which is plural or any other instruments in the spiritual or the physical world, so to destroy paradise, which is manifested in the physical world. Since they were destined to lose in the Spiritual World, where God and His angels were fully in control and none can snatch anything from Him, in His domain, therefore he infiltrated into God's physical and material creation. Cheating, stealing and robbing through the hearts of sinful human beings. Therefore in the physical world, even while the sight of God is not fully revealed, because of the veil of the sinful flesh and natures in us, yet we still struggle to gain more faith in God, would receive great blessings and rewards after this earthly lives, are over, for individual soul.
"Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering."
The good children obediently gather the harvest together, tie them into sheaves and deliver them to the mill. The bad children who were not given the privilege were filled with envy. They can't bear to see the whole process go on smoothly. They tried to snatch from the good children the harvest of God and scatter them, slowing down the whole process.
The Scribes and Pharisees were actually a stumbling block and obstacles to fulfil God's plan of spreading the "Good News" to a much wider spectrum of people. What Jesus tried to build they destroyed and Jesus had to gather the pieces together and build again. Jesus had to continuously and harshly caution the Jewish chosen people of God, reminding them of the, 'the yeast' of the Pharisees - the words of ignorance that came from the religious leaders had in so many ways confused the minds of the Jews. It is spreading like yeast, expanding the useless dough of bread, that would soon be destroyed, after the reign of God's Kingdom, was fully established on the New Earth and the New Heaven. The Kingdom of God, once again began when Jesus came into this world, especially after His baptism, when the Holy Spirit of 'Heavenly Kingship', was officially installed on Christ Jesus. If only the Jewish people, who had mostly obeyed without question, their religious authority, were humble enough to have given the green light for them to listen to Jesus, then so much conversion would be expected. But God allowed these things to happen which finally brought Jesus to death. All evil and cruelty against Jesus was never God's will, but Man who had co-operated with the Devil, whom had long wished to destroy Jesus, who is God's only Begotten Son, had found faithful partnership with the sinful will and desire of man, 'the Judas in us'. Why had the words of the prophets and Jesus always mention that 'it was the will of the Father, that Jesus should suffer and die, in order to redeem mankind?' Yes! Indeed, God knew the hearts of man through and through. If God had not allowed His Son to be tortured and died, He would not have to underwent all those torments and cruelties. God allowed Man freedom to participate with whoever they choose, God or the Devil? Yet! Sure and true enough, Man chose to destroy Jesus, by co-operating with the Devil, to kill the human Jesus, or else He would live to His ripe age, like Mary, and received a glorified human body un-decayed, as Jesus was spotless. We might not even have a perfect human being like Mary and Jesus, because it was God, through Jesus Christ purified Mary, before she even arrive in this world, so that God can give Jesus a perfect home in His Mother's womb, as refuge from sin.
According to the law of the Spirit, which superseded natural laws, sin caused death and decomposition. Jesus would be raised to heaven, body, soul and spirit, to live as a model, and perfect human being. What would happen? We would have to wait for another, Savior to redeem the whole human race. If Jesus, lived as Mary, had lived her Life, He would only be able to intercede and pray for His brothers and sisters, who would still be lost on earth. As blood, is necessary to purify anything reserved for God, Jesus had to shed His Life and Blood, in order to redeem the whole fallen creation, so to purify them, by making them worthy to be God's Children. Through this, God glorified Him. Making Him the 'Door', 'Gate', 'Gatekeeper' and co-owner of Heaven. He is the Way, Truth and source of Life, from the Father.
Although Man was made a victim, by the Devil, we are still to be blamed, for allowing sins to grow and infested our minds and hearts, thus bringing about evil and sinful actions and words. Betrayal, Judas Iscariot, should not have underestimated the love and mercy of God. He ought to have died to his sinful natures and wills, instead of taking his physical life. We too who were all like Judas, need to make penance and sacrifice for our sins, by dying to our sinful natures and embrace the Cross of Christ, together with our own crosses, the consequence of our sinful human natures. We cannot be deceived by directly connecting our personal sins with sufferings. Our personal lines of ancestors, might be living in grace, yet the sufferings these lines of ancestors were enduring were too heavy, in contrast to others. God, through Jesus Christ suffered for us, of which was none from the consequence of Jesus' personal sin, yet the penalty that He took upon Himself, was for His lost brothers and sisters on earth. Through the grace and mercy of God, together with His perfect plans and will, God wanted to consecrate all human beings, to be united with His Son's suffering to save even more souls on earth. We all need to humbly respond to that call, to be selfless, inside out, for the good of ourselves and others.
People can be forgiven of their sins and any evil things they say or do, but whoever says evil things or acted, against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven.
The Holy Spirit is the most inner essence of God. The Life of God. The Heart of God. The emotion and fire of love, mercy and compassion of God. The Authority of God. The Power of God. The character of God. The Holiness of God. It filled the whole being of the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. He gives the human Jesus Christ the Life filled with peace, love and joy, even in His moment of anguish, at the Mount of Olive.
The human Jesus, had gone up to heaven two thousands years ago. We can reach the human Jesus, through the Power of the Holy Spirit, which descended, through the Will of the Father united with the Son. The Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and to all His followers, and drew them and us to the Father. Here Father was, is and will continued to be united with the Son. Both Father and Son are One. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. The two natures, divine and human, were in God and He filled that human Jesus, with the fullness of power and authority of God, that is the Holy Spirit. If we rejected the Holy Spirit, we rejected, not only the twice Holiness of God, but thrice. How grave indeed, was that sin, even the pagan feared to commit!
We may ignorantly say some bad words or produce actions that are against Jesus, God the Son or God the Father but if we do not mean to hurt Him, it is just the rebellious and sinful natures of evil in us. God accepts our repentant hearts. Sincere sorrow help to make good for the wrong and sin against God. Sin against the Holy Spirit is the greatest sin as we sin against not only the two personalities of God, but three, in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the greatest Gift of the Father and the Son, given to all who are destined to inherit eternal life with God in heaven.
The Holy Spirit filled not only God the Father and the Son, but also all angels, saints and the whole realm of heaven, giving it the splendor, radiant and glory, that 'sun and moon' were no longer needed, as the glory of God filled the whole heaven. Those saints under modification in purgatory and on earth, would be gently molded to accept the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It is the purest and highest Gift of Love, offered to all humankind. It is Jesus' Sacred Heart. It is His Agony and pain. It is His Body and Blood offered to us. It is Jesus' Victorious Spirit, that had conquered the most fear element, in humankind, that is our imminent death. Without Jesus, we would all die and still remained death. The Gifts of His whole Life and beings, which included Jesus human and divine natures, were all packed generously, like 'spring of living water', in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, in Jesus brought about His own resurrection. So it shall happen, to all who were blessed with the Holy Spirit, in their lives. Being Christians and truly living a resurrected lives are really the highest blessing of God. It is sharing in the life of God. We must all remember, with Christ, together with God, through His Spirit, enthroned in our lives, He would be the Father of our lives, whom we looked up to Him for love and providence. With Jesus as the King and Lord of our lives, we needed to live up to the honor given to us by God, as His Children (Princes and Princesses), by giving Him the worship and honor, that He deserves to receive from us.
With Jesus as the Victor, over all inferior spirits of Darkness, we too must be able to share in His victory and not be deceived by the Devil, who tried to defeat us, by bringing unwanted stress, depression, despair and hopelessness, etc. With Jesus who had paid the ransom for our sins, by offering Himself to us, as Lamb of God, to the Father. We must remember it is not good enough to offer up Jesus, apart from our lives. Because redemption and salvation had been accomplished after Christ's death, but the final battles are in our lives and hearts. God need to conquer our sinful hearts and remove our sinful lives, making us to be like Himself as depicted by human Jesus, who had submitted to God to transform Him. It does not mean that human Jesus is imperfect, that He needed to be purified too. But the fact was that He took our place as human being, who had fallen. In His physical body was the continuous transformation of the nature of sin in us. We therefore need to offer up Jesus, in unity with the unpurified Mystical Body of Christ that is still in the state of purgatory and those still veiled by flesh on earth, to the Father. Therefore we must be able to live a life of freedom, from any law of natures and all human laws. Being free means, that we must be able to live a life, not enslaved and controlled by them, but instead be able to be master of them all. Just like 'food is for the stomach, not stomach for food. Sabbath day is for the good of man and not man for the Sabbath'. Human lives, gifts from the Divine God, who blew His Breathe to all of us, who arrive into this world, must supersede, all others. We must make ourselves free from any entanglements to give God the fullness of worship and allow Him authority over us.
Therefore it is the highest evil, if we rejected the Holy Spirit.
Praise the Lord. Amen.
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