Author: Charlie Garrett

Friday, 15 August 2025

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:28

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And if in God’s Spirit I, I eject the demons, then it preceded upon you, the ‘God’s kingdom’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus trapped the Pharisees with a question concerning the casting out of demons by their sons, meaning their disciples. With that complete, He now states a proposition to be accepted or rejected by the hearer, beginning with an emphatic statement, “And if in God’s Spirit I, I eject the demons.”

Jesus has just clearly demonstrated that He cannot be ejecting demons by Beelzebul, something the Pharisees would have to grant based on His logic. Understanding that it is not by Beelzebul, then it must be from another source. In fact, it can only be from one source. And so He says, “then it preceded upon you, the ‘God’s kingdom.’”

Here is a new word, phthanó (ff-than-oh), to precede, as in arriving ahead of time. Because of this, it is an arrival “before something which indicates priority in importance or sequence” (HELPS Word Studies).

The use of this word by Jesus indicates that He had already been on the scene, performing healings and miracles while preaching the gospel, but the people didn’t realize that He was who He, in fact, turned out to be. One might paraphrase the thought, “Jesus walked among us, and before we knew it, He had revealed Himself to be the Messiah.”

The sense of the word can be seen from Paul’s description of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 –

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede (phthanó) those who are asleep.”

Jesus cast out demons. He was accused of having derived His authority from Beelzebub. He demonstrated that such could not be the case. Therefore, what He had accomplished was evidence that what He did was from God, and thus God’s kingdom had already come upon them.

As usual, the spiritual leaders of Israel missed the boat in understanding the significance of the events around them. Today, two thousand years later, they sit in synagogues and miss the fact that God’s kingdom has come, rejecting Jesus, and thus rejecting their only hope of salvation.

Life application: It is common in evangelical Christian circles for people to give Jews a pass on not accepting Jesus, as if they are ok without Him. This comes in varying degrees. The most extreme case of this heresy is that of dual covenantalism, something preached by John Hagee. It is also the set doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. Even if it is not openly taught, it is in their doctrinal writings.

Others may not openly understand or accept this doctrine, but they still hold to it in their thinking, trying to rationalize away why Jews are ok with God because they are “God’s people,” even while understanding that Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., are condemned without Jesus.

This attitude stems from a failure to understand who “God’s people” are at a given time. Hosea prophesied of a time when His people would no longer be His people, but those who were not His people would be His people. Paul explains this in Romans 9-11.

While the Jews are out of God’s favor, they are “God’s people” only in anticipation of restoration. However, they are not His people for salvation. Rather, that belongs to those -Jews and Gentiles – who have received Jesus. They are a part of the church.

That day will end at the rapture, and a simple question clears up the heretical notion that the Jews today are “God’s people.” Will the Jews who don’t believe in Jesus be taken at the rapture? The answer is obvious, “No.” Rather, they as a collective group will go through the tribulation. This proves that they are not now “God’s people” except in anticipation of restoration.

The Christian community would do far better by evangelizing Jews than by proclaiming that they are God’s people, thus bolstering the idea in their minds (meaning the Jews) that they think Christians believe they are right with God. Without Jesus, there is no salvation. Remember the basic equation –

In proper theology, one plus one will always equal two.

“‘I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. ³⁸ I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.’
³⁹ They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’
Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. ⁴¹ You do the deeds of your father.’” John 8:37-41

Being a descendant (physically descended from) Abraham does not mean one is a child of Abraham from a spiritual perspective. Rather –

“Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ ⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” Galatians 3:5-9

Glorious God, help to get our thinking right in relation to what You are doing in redemptive history. Too many reject Israel because of their misdeeds, as if they no longer have the promises of the prophets. But too many fail to acknowledge that without Jesus, the Jews stand condemned. Help us to have clarity of thought, and to pray for and evangelize to this beloved, set-aside group of people. Amen.

Thursday, 14 August 2025

And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. Matthew 12:27

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And if I, I eject demons in Beelzebul, your sons – in whom do they eject? Through this they, they will be your judges” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told the Pharisees that if Satan were to cast out Satan, he would have divided himself. If so, his kingdom could not stand. Now, with a kind of “in your face” question for His accusers, Jesus emphatically asks, “And if I, I eject demons in Beelzebul, your sons – in whom do they eject?”

In this question, the “sons” are those who sit under the authority of the Pharisees, specifically meaning their disciples. There are two main points to consider in this question. The first is that their disciples must have claimed that they cast out demons. Otherwise, Jesus would not have even bothered with the question. Therefore, it is certain that they claimed this power.

Second, Jesus does not say they actually did it. Rather, He is affirming that they practiced the casting out of demons. An example of Jews doing this is found in Acts 19. Other than being a priest, it doesn’t say what position their father held, be it a Sadducee or Pharisee, but the matter is documented by Luke –

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ ¹⁴ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’
¹⁶ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸ And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.” Acts 19:13-18

People like this made claims that they were able to cast out demons. Jesus has established through His question that He knows the Pharisees’ disciples made such claims. If this is so, the claim would be that they did it under God’s authority. However, if the argument of the Pharisees was that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebul, then their own disciples must be allied with Beelzebul.

They have now placed themselves in an impossible trap. Therefore, they have to either retract their claim, which will then validate Jesus’ ministry, or they will have to restate their claim and simply acknowledge that Jesus’ authority is of God. If they don’t, “Through this they, they will be your judges.”

The words are again emphatic. The claims and actions (whether real or fake) of the disciples bear witness against the words of the Pharisees. Either they are really casting out by God’s help and thus Jesus is as well, or they are faking it and are charlatans. Either way, they cannot be casting out by Beelzebul because if they were, Beelzebul would have divided himself and fallen.

Life application: The Pharisees must have known that their disciples were falsely casting out demons. Having seen Jesus casting them out and realizing that what He was doing was true and effective, it cast on them the certain knowledge that He was able to do something they could not do. Therefore, they projected their failings on Him by adding an unsupportable accusation.

This, therefore, is essentially the fallacy known as projection. In essence, their thinking is as follows:

We are not really casting out demons. It is just a Benny Hinn show to dupe the masses.
We see Jesus really casting out demons. However, we are (surely!) on God’s side.
Therefore, He must be doing this at the hand of Beelzebul!

However, because they are lying about their abilities, they are actually doing the work of the devil, because their lying certainly isn’t of God. Therefore, they project their own failing on Jesus by ascribing His successes to Beelzebul.

This is a common practice among wicked people. They are corrupt, and yet they take what they are doing and ascribe it to their foes. As a modern example of this, which occurs daily in the US, the democrat party and individual democrats do exactly what they accuse their opponents of doing. In doing this, they project their own failings on those with whom they are at variance.

Unfortunately, shallow people who are unable to clearly process the events as they occur will often accept the words of such people without attempting to reconcile the words against the actions. It is a sort of brain-dead state where their hatred of a person or ideal completely blinds them to the reality in which they exist.

Much of this is a result of a lack of critical thinking, which is no longer taught in schools. Without the ability to see and then rightly process what is actually going on, subjective feelings become a person’s hold on reality. As they already cannot properly process reality, they have nothing but enmity welling up in them toward whoever is being falsely accused.

Jesus used critical thinking when dealing with the Pharisees. He was able to cut through their unsupportable accusations and shine the light back on those who made them, exposing their hypocrisy.

To rightly understand the accusations of the left, listening to well-trained critical thinking people such as Thomas Sowell, Victor Davis Hanson, Dennis Prager, and others will help you process what is really going on in the minds of the left.

The same is true in Christian circles. Be willing to listen to sound teachers who have taken the time to learn Scripture and rightly process when someone is giving an invalid argument from it. What God says and does is logical. Nothing illogical will issue from Him. Therefore, when something is illogically presented, even if it sounds right at first, it cannot be.

“With Him are wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.” Job 12:13

Lord God, give us wisdom and understanding to rightly process Your word. Help us to possess this in the world around us as well. There is so much unclear thinking out there. Give us clarity of thought, discernment, and the ability to critically evaluate what is presented so that we can then rightly consider and act on what we are told. Amen.

Wednesday, 13 August 2025

If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? Matthew 12:26

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And if the Satan, he ejects the Satan, he divided upon himself. How then, it will stand, his kingdom?” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus noted what would happen if a kingdom were divided against itself. Using the same idea to ensure the point is understood, He next says, “And if the Satan, he ejects the Satan, he divided upon himself.”

This is the second time that Satan is mentioned in the New Testament. The first time was in Matthew 4:10 during Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. At times, it is stated as a name or an appellative, as in Matthew 4:10. In Matthew 4:10, it said, “Withdraw, you Satan!” The meaning is probably closest to, “Withdraw, you Accuser!”

In this verse, both times it is preceded by a definite article, “the Satan” and thus “the Accuser.” Thus, it signifies, “And if the Accuser, he ejects the Accuser, he divided upon himself.” As such, it is not that one of his subordinates is ejecting another. It is as if he is ejecting himself.

It would be comparable to Joe Biden picking himself up and tossing himself out of the White House. That may be something the general public wished had taken place, but if it did, it would mean that he would no longer be in the White House. Instead, the American public was relieved of him in another way.

The point of Jesus’ words is that what the Pharisees accuse Jesus of, meaning casting out demons by the ruler of demons, signifies that when a demon enters a person, Satan has essentially entered that person as well. When Satan ejects a demon, he ejects himself. The thought is contradictory to furthering his goals, but more, it is contradictory to logic.

The words are not present tense, saying, “he is divided against himself.” Rather, the verb being aorist says, “he divided himself.” The division is stated regardless of a particular time. It is simply a fact that at some point, when Satan takes such an action, he has at that time divided himself.

As for Jesus’ continued words in such an instance, He remarks concerning the Accuser, “How then, it will stand, his kingdom?” The question demands a negative response: “It cannot.” If the verb were present tense, “he is divided against himself,” it could mean he could repair the division.

However, with the aorist verb, “he divided himself,” the repair is impossible. Therefore, just as a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, Satan ejecting himself from his subjects has caused his kingdom to fall.

Logically, then, if Satan had given Jesus the authority to cast out demons, he would have given Him the authority to cast himself out. The proposition is ludicrous to even the poorest thinker. As such, Jesus is thoroughly shaming the thought processes of the Pharisees who spoke before thinking.

Life application: Jesus speaks of Satan as a real entity. He acknowledges angels and demons as well. Paul also speaks of the spiritual battle that believers face in Ephesians 6. Unfortunately, Christians cling to this as if we could lose the battle. They dwell on the negative aspect as if it is something that could thoroughly overwhelm us.

Hollywood is great with this, leading people to assume that Satan can steal away people’s souls while making no distinction between believers and unbelievers. In the case of believers, this is incorrect. Jesus has prevailed over Satan and his demons.

During this life, we can be afflicted by these spiritual forces, but if we are in Christ, we will never again be subject to their permanent rule. Paul even tells us of this in 1 Corinthians 5. Speaking of a wayward believer, he says, “…deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul’s words of Ephesians 6 give us instruction for conducting our lives as Christians during this life, not “for” the next life. If you want to be free from spiritual affliction, follow the guidelines given there. But your eternal destiny, that of full restoration with God through Christ Jesus, was settled when you believed the gospel.

Don’t have the defeated attitude that so many Christians carry around with them. Christ has prevailed! In Him, we too have prevailed. The more we rely on Him and what He has done, the surer we will be that this is true. Stand firm in your salvation, apply the words of Scripture to your life, and don’t let the accuser and his minions rob you of your joy in Christ.

Lord God, thank You that because Christ has prevailed, we too have prevailed. May we stand fast in our salvation, knowing that we are free from law and therefore free from the imputation of sin. As this is so, we are free from the consequences that result from breaking the law. Satan can no longer hold such against us. Thank You, O God, that Jesus has prevailed! Amen.

Tuesday, 12 August 2025

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. Matthew 12:25

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And Jesus, having known their thoughts, He said to them, ‘Every kingdom, having divided against itself, it desolates, and every city or house having divided against itself, not it will stand’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus was accused by the Pharisees of casting out demons by Beelzebul. This was obviously done quietly among themselves or towards the crowds without Jesus directly hearing it because Matthew next records, “And Jesus, having known their thoughts.”

Jesus perceived their thoughts even though He was not openly privy to their conversation. It is a trait that belongs to God –

“I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:10

In knowing what they were thinking, He responds to their accusations, as recorded by Matthew, “He said to them, ‘Every kingdom, having divided against itself, it desolates.’”

There are two new words. The first is merizó, to apportion. As such, in this context, it signifies to divide one part from another. The second is erémoó, to desolate or make waste. If a kingdom is united, it will be alive and thriving, but when it is divided, it will become like a ruined wilderness where nothing productive takes place.

The sly accusation of the Pharisees does not hold water because it stands against simple logic. Jesus next provides a second example to solidify this truth, saying, “and every city or house having divided against itself, not it will stand.”

This is an example that would have been obvious to even someone as observantly dull about the world around them as the Pharisees. They may have been so stuck in their legalism that they never lifted their eyes to see how the normal world works, but Scripture and history would tell them that a city that did not possess the same goals and spirit of unity could not stand –

“And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. ²³ So the house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city was formerly Luz.) ²⁴ And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, ‘Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy.’ ²⁵ So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go. ²⁶ And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day.” Judges 1:22-26

A single man not in step with the rest of the city brought the city to destruction. Evidence of such division makes the accusation of the Pharisees completely untenable.

Life application: Paul spends most of his time in the book of 1 Corinthians writing against divisions within the church. He does this because of the very precept Jesus highlights in this verse. The church at Corinth had many divisions of various types. If this problem were not corrected, the church could not stand.

His letter is a warning and admonition to churches throughout the age. Unless there is unity within the church, little divisions will lead to a total division of the congregation or even a total collapse of the church.

People have many pet peeves that drive their choice of church attendance. Generally, doctrine is not first and foremost on people’s minds. Some people want comfortable chairs. Some want a church where food is served. Some look for a certain type of entertainment.

When these types of things are one’s priority for church attendance, it is a rather shallow foundation on which continued attendance can be expected. With a simple change in the direction of the music, some will protest. If their protest isn’t catered to, there will be disharmony. Depending on the size of the church, it can cause a split, or it may just cause those who are disenchanted to find another church.

As silly as this seems, it is as common as chicken meals at KFC. Churches, first and foremost, are intended to analyze and instruct in the word, which explains God and His redemptive plans for man through Jesus Christ. Once this main reason for gathering loses priority, there is no longer a sound footing for the church to continue without division.

Hold fast to the word, honor God through Jesus, and be ready to restore harmony within the church when it is called for. Jesus spoke about division and its consequences. Paul then set the example for us in his letters. We should do our best to emulate his instruction.

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. ¹² Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Lord God, may we stand united in our devotion to You and to growing in You through a proper evaluation and right understanding of Your word. Help us in this, O God, so that we may be mature in our thinking, always placing You first in our hearts and lives. Amen.

Monday, 11 August 2025

Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Matthew 12:24

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And the Pharisees, having heard, they said, ‘This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the people, although not committed to the proposition, somewhat suspected that Jesus may be the Son of David. Having stated this, the usual suspects now chime in. Matthew records, “And the Pharisees, having heard.”

Having seen their track record thus far, it can already be surmised that these men were indignant at the very thought of Jesus being the anticipated Messiah. Therefore, “they said, ‘This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons.’”

There is no article before “prince” or “ruler” (NKJV). Thus, the statement speaks of a title more than a position. One can see the emphatic retort to the people’s questioning –

23 ‘Not any, this, He is the Son of David?’
24 ‘This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons.’

In order to draw the people’s speculation away from Jesus possibly being the Son of David, they go to the most extreme resolution possible. Not only is He not the Son of David, but He also isn’t even just a charlatan. Rather, He has power, but that power is surely derived from he who is prince of the demons!

They couldn’t deny that the miracles were real. The evidence was there before them. But they would never come to acknowledge that what Jesus did was of God. Therefore, the certain explanation that they clung to was that Jesus’ power was demonic.

Because of their words, Jesus will carefully explain why their reasoning is faulty and why they are in serious trouble before God because of their accusation.

Life application: On 24 June 2025, Adam Sheafe was arrested for crucifying an Arizona pastor several months earlier. Sheafe intended to kill fourteen more pastors, all because they believe in Jesus. The news service said –

“The suspect described his plan as ‘Operation First Commandment’ and claimed that the Bible’s New Testament teachings about Jesus Christ go against the biblical commandment that says, ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ Sheafe stated, ‘His commandments have been annulled by this character called Jesus, a human being who I believe is the son of Satan’” (American Military News).

Sheafe is obviously theologically confused. But what would lead someone to take such a stand? The answer is because he was told something about Scripture that was incorrect and, instead of doing the research, he trusted what he was told.

The people of Israel were presented with the obvious truth that Jesus was capable of healing the deaf and blind, and yet they questioned whether He was the Messiah or not. To rob them of any faith that may have sprouted in their hearts, the Pharisees quickly intervened and assured them that Jesus was healing by the power of Beelzebul.

It is one thing to listen to authority figures, and it is another to do so without checking what they say. Israel was presented with their Messiah. They rejected Him as a nation, and it caused them to, once again, fall under the curses of the Law of Moses. They had agreed to the law, they were to live by it, and they were to accept what it taught.

As Jesus noted in John 5, Moses wrote about Him. In Luke 24:27, it says, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Israel rejected this. They continue to do so today.

Unfortunately, because of the teachings of modern-day Judaizers and Hebrew Roots adherents, this attitude has spread around the world. Like the Roman Catholic Church, their doctrine denies the all-sufficiency of Christ’s work, mandating individual works as a part of the salvation process.

Law has been the problem since the first days of man on earth. It remains a problem to this day. It is what puts a wall between God and man. What is needed is God’s grace. We cannot find life without it, and we cannot find healing and restoration apart from it.

May we remember this lesson. Jesus came to demonstrate to Israel that He was their Messiah. As a part of this demonstration, He gave His life up in fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Why would we ever want to go back to that? May we go forward in God’s grace, living for Him and honoring Him by honoring the full, finished, final, and forever work of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord God, thank You for the all-sufficient nature of Christ’s work. Through what He has done, we are fully reconciled to You. Thank You for Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.