The Life and Ministry of Jesus
If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. Matthew 12:26–30
By driving out demons, He was proving He was greater than Satan. He was able to go into Satan’s realm (the strong man’s house), the demonic world, and come away with the spoils of victory (12:29). Since He could do this, He was able to institute the kingdom of God among them (v. 28).
If He were driving out demons by Satan’s power, He certainly could not be offering the people God’s kingdom. That would be contradictory. The fact that He was coming to establish the kingdom clearly showed that He worked by the power of the Spirit of God, not by Satan’s power. 1
Personal Encouragement
There is a spiritual battle that He wants to fight for you. Will you let Him lead you into victory? You may be in a big spiritual battle with now and you may not even recognize what is actually happening to you. Pray now for discernment and protection.
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Matthew 10:1
His deliverance is for all those who want to be delivered from the evil one.
A Prayer
Lord, thank You for protecting me from the many forces of darkness in this world.
1. Walvoord, John F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary.
