Audio Download

Matthew 12:25–50 Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

[Study Aired June 9, 2025]

In our study today, we are going to look at the consequence of a kingdom divided against itself, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, how we are known by our fruits, what Jonah being in the whale for three days implies spiritually, the return of an unclean spirit, and finally, what Jesus’ mother and brothers represent spiritually. 

A Kingdom Divided Against Itself

Mat 12:25  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 
Mat 12:26  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 
Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 

These verses were preceded by Jesus healing a man possessed with the devil, such that he was deaf and dumb. The Pharisees attributed the casting out of the devil from the man to Jesus being possessed by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, explained why their assertion was false in the verses above.

Physically, when a kingdom or a city is divided against itself, or Satan is divided against itself, the obvious result is its implosion or collapse. Spiritually, a kingdom or a city refers to a church. When a church is divided against itself, the end result is that the people constituting the kingdom will surely end up not receiving the promise of God. How is a church divided against itself? It is when the worshipers do not speak the same thing.

1Co 1:11  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 
1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 
1Co 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 

It is therefore imperative that as the Lord’s elect we speak the same thing as admonished by the Lord. 

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 
Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

As we can see in the churches of this world or Babylon, everyone speaks something different, because they are deprived of the truth. No wonder there are several denominations of the churches of this world. In the Book of Revelation, we are told that the number of false doctrines propagated by these false apostles parading in the churches of this world is 200 million. These false doctrines are what divide the churches of this world.

Rev 9:16  And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.  

In verse 27, the Lord asked the Pharisees by what power their followers cast out demons if they believe He uses the power of Beelzebub to drive out demons. He went further to tell the Pharisees that their own followers are the ones who will judge them. These Pharisees represent us when we were in the churches of this world. Our works are signified by our followers. The Lord saying that their followers will judge them means that our works are what is being used to judge us. The various denominations of the church system of this world therefore attest to the fact that they are not one, as the Lord enjoins us to be of the same mind. Therefore, they do not know the way of peace.

Isa 59:8  The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. 

Mat 12:28  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

As we have indicated in previous studies, being possessed by devils means our hearts and minds are filled with false doctrines. 

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.  

In verse 28, the Lord is saying that casting out devils by the Spirit of God shows that the kingdom of God is come unto us. While the presence of demons and evil spirits were acknowledged in the Old Testament, there were no accounts of any prophet or figure of God possessing the power to cast out demons as seen in the New Testament with Jesus and His disciples. In other words, it is Christ coming into our lives that we are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom, and as a result, the false doctrines in our heavens are cast out or destroyed. 

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Although men of God in the Old Testament spoke through the spirit of God, they were not given to understand what they were saying. Their works were for our benefit as the Lord’s elect. 

1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 

Jesus casting out devils in verse 28, is the coming of Christ with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness into our lives to expose the lies of the evil one, for the establishment of the kingdom of the Lord within us. In another dispensation, this kingdom shall be made manifest, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. 

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Mat 12:29  Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 
Mat 12:30  He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.   

In verse 29, the Lord is showing us that He is the strong man, who defeated the evil one to set us free from our captivity under the devil’s rule. As He is, so are we. If we are to bind the works of the devil in our lives, then we must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. This means that we must put on the whole armour which the Lord has provided for us.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 

Verse 30 is indicating that we are either on the Lord’s side or the side of the devil. That is to say, we are either gathering or scattering the Lord’s flock. Gathering together the Lord’s flock is speaking the same thing with the same mind concerning the truth. Scattering the Lord’s flock is speaking false doctrines.

Jer 23:1  Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. 
Jer 23:2  Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. 
Jer 23:3  And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 
Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

Speaking Against the Holy Spirit

Mat 12:31  Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 
Mat 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 

When we were in the churches of this world or Babylon, we believed that there is an unpardonable sin, that is, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In other words, those who speak against the Holy spirit will never be forgiven and therefore miss out on “Heaven.” However, here in Matthew, these verses above do not say that there is an unpardonable sin. It rather says that those who sin or blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come. In Mark, we are given further information that says that those who sin against the Holy Spirit will be judged in the lake of fire age. 

Mar 3:28  Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 
Mar 3:29  But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
Mar 3:30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. 

This age ends with the coming of Jesus with His elect to establish His kingdom here on earth. The world to come is the age where the kingdom of God is established here on earth during the thousand-year rulership of the Lord and His Christ. This thousand-year reign ends with the release of Satan and the rebellion of the human race against the Lord and His Christ, to usher in another age of the lake of fire. 

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.  

What this implies is that those who sin against the Holy Spirit, that is, to ascribe the work of the Lord to the devil or an unclean spirit, will surely not be given repentance in this age or the age to come. They will, however, be forgiven in the lake of fire age when they are judged. We know from the word of the Lord that judgment causes us to learn righteousness. All humanity, including the devil and His cohorts, will learn righteousness in the lake-of-fire age. That is when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

The question is, “What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit?” We blaspheme against the Holy Spirit when we teach contrary to the word of the Lord, which is spirit. The fact that we, His elect, shall not be hurt by the second death of the lake of fire which means that we are granted repentance in this age. It is the people of this world and our brothers and sisters in Babylon who shall suffer the pains of the lake of fire. This scenario is illustrated by the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were thrown in the burning fiery furnace but were not hurt by the fire.       

Dan 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 
Dan 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

Mat 12:33  Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 
Mat 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 

Every good tree brings forth good fruit, and every corrupt tree produces evil fruit. What this implies is that those who are the sons of the kingdom, that is, His elect, live their lives pleasing the Lord. On the other hand, those whose father is the devil, do not do things that are pleasing to the Lord. In summary, our works will show whether we are children of God or children of the devil. 

Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.  

Vipers are serpents; and serpents represent the tail as follows:

Rev 9:19  For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 

Mat 23:33  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 

The tail is a symbol of false prophets. Thus, Jesus calling the Pharisees a generation of vipers, means that they were false prophets who were deceiving the people who came to them unsuspecting. As shown earlier, these Pharisees represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon and are therefore false prophets. Because these false prophets are of their father the devil, it is impossible for them to speak the truth and therefore, out of the abundance of the false doctrines in their hearts and minds, their mouths speak these false doctrines. On the other hand, a good man is a child of the Lord and out of his heart and mind comes the truth of the word of the Lord. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Mat 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 

Giving account of whatever we have done with our lives on the day of judgment entails the false doctrines we have propagated. If our hearts and minds are filled with the truth of the word of the Lord, we shall speak the truth and be justified. On the other hand, if our hearts and minds are filled with the false doctrines of the devil, whatever comes out of our mouths shall reflect the false doctrines within. Therefore, by what we speak, we are either justified or condemned. 

Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 

The Sign of Jonah

Mat 12:38  Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 
Mat 12:39  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 
Mat 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 

As indicated, the scribes and the Pharisees represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon, of which we were part at a certain stage of our walk with Christ.  The scribes and Pharisees asking of a sign from Jesus shows us a key characteristic of our lives when we were in the churches of Babylon – our obsession with signs and wonders as proof that the Lord is with us. It is instructive to note that Jesus referred to the scribes and Pharisees as an evil and adulterous generation in verse 39. The use of “evil” signifies that our works in the churches of this world or Babylon were not pleasing to the Lord and that we were doing the works of our father, the devil. 

Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Joh 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.  

The Lord calling us “adulterous” shows that we were serving another Jesus. 

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

The Lord telling the scribes and the Pharisees that there shall be no sign given to this generation implies that knowing Christ is no longer dependent on physical signs and wonders as we see the churches of Babylon validating the presence of the Lord in their midst with signs and wonders. This is the warning that Jesus gave us regarding signs and wonders:

Mat 24:23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

The Lord wants us to rather focus on the sign of the prophet Jonah who was in the belly of the whale for three days and nights. Jesus showed us how to understand the word of the Lord by referring to Jonah’s three days and nights experience in the belly of a whale as representing Him in the heart of the earth for three days and nights. Here Jesus was foretelling the people of His death and burial in the tomb.  

We know that it takes the spirit to help us understand that the three days and nights that Jonah spent in the belly of the whale is about Jesus being buried in the grave. This implies that what the Lord is telling us is that His signs and wonders are now perceived in the spirit. In other words, Jesus’ spiritual work of taking us from the miry clay and establishing us on the rock is what He is doing in this age, and it is those who worship Him in spirit and truth who appreciate the great miracles He is performing in our lives.

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

Does it mean that Jesus is no longer performing physical miracles? The answer is absolutely, no!! Everything the Lord does is miraculous – how we are fed and clothed every day is a miracle. However, when we focus on physical evidence of His daily miraculous acts, we miss out on the spiritual reality of the Lord in this age, because God is spirit, and they who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. 

Mat 12:41  The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 
Mat 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.  

The preaching of Jonas brought repentance to the people of Nineveh, a gentile city. In likewise manner, the queen of Sheba (the queen of the South), a gentile, came to hear of the wisdom of Solomon and was overwhelmed. However, Jesus, who is the son of God and therefore greater than both Jonas and Solomon, is here with us to reconcile men to God and this generation does not pay attention to His voice. As indicated, this generation, representing the churches of Babylon are not paying heed to His voice.  The fact that both Nineveh and the queen of Sheba shall rise up in the judgment of this generation attests to the fact that the churches of this world shall be judged. However, they shall be the last on the line to be saved.

Eze 16:53  When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: 
Eze 16:54  That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. 
Eze 16:55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. 

Return of an Unclean Spirit

Mat 12:43  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 
Mat 12:44  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. 
Mat 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. 

As we indicated earlier in the study, a person possessed by an unclean spirit is one whose heart and mind is filled with false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. When we did not know Christ and were just like the people of this world, we were spiritually possessed by an unclean spirit. When Christ initially came to us, the unclean spirit went out from us as the truth of His words started cleansing the false doctrines in our hearts and mind. 

As we entered the churches of this world, thinking we were going to know Christ through His words, we were rather fed with the complete false doctrines of another Jesus, signified by the seven unclean spirits, thus making us worse off than when we were before. 

2Pe 2:17  These (the false prophets in the churches of this world) are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 

In verse 45, the Lord told us that what happened to the man with the unclean spirit is what is happening to this wicked generation. As we have indicated earlier, this wicked generation refers to our walk in the churches of this world or Babylon and all those fellowshiping in the churches of this world. The reference to this wicked generation therefore attests to our deplorable state when we were in the churches of this world thinking we were righteous. Just like the Galatians who were bewitched, we were also bewitched by seven more wicked spirits during our sojourn in Babylon.

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

Mat 12:46  While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 
Mat 12:47  Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 
Mat 12:48  But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 
Mat 12:49  And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 
Mat 12:50  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. 

These verses show us that on a positive note, our mother and brethren are those who do the will of Jesus Christ, that is, the Lord’s elect. We know that ‘mother’ represents a church, and therefore, Jesus pointing to His disciples as His earthly mother and brothers when talking to the Scribes and Pharisees, who represent the church system of this world or Babylon, is to let us know that we, His elect, are the church of the New Jerusalem or the firstborn which is different from the church system of this world which is in bondage with her children.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 
Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.   

We cannot thank the Lord enough for dragging us out of Babylon and making us His sons and daughters. May His name be praised. Amen!!