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Matthew 12:22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”When the people witnessed the powerful miracle which Jesus performed, they concluded that he might in fact be the promised Messiah sent by God to save His people. But the hardened Pharisees were not at all impressed. They explained away the miracle by holding that had used the power of Beelzebub to drive out the demons.
29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. …31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Jesus then explained that he was able to cast out demons because he in fact had power over the “strong man.” But the Pharisees would not be forgiven for their sin. They would not be given grace unto repentance. Jesus called them vipers and labeled them as evil.
Evil brood of vipers34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
Jesus taught that the Pharisees were incapable of saying anything good. Because of the evil stored up in them, whatever came forth from their mouths was evil, regardless of how it sounded.
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” 39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Jesus denounced the Pharisees and the teachers of the law as wicked and adulterous. He was not referring to literal adultery in the sexual sense, but spiritual adultery---they were unfaithful to God. Then Jesus explained how they had arrived at such a hopelessly fallen condition.
Seven even more wicked spirits43 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
The Lord had graciously chosen Israel out of all the nations on earth and delivered her from slavery in Egypt. He led the Israelites to the Promised Land and gave them a land of their own. God had set Israel free and the “evil spirit” had come out of her. She experienced God’s wonderful blessing and became a mighty nation.
But eventually Israel began to forget the God who had delivered her and blessed her. Complacency set in. The evil spirit was able to return to the house of Israel which it had left. It went and took with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they went in and lived there. And the final condition of Israel was worse than the first. (See “To the Church in America: What We Should Now Do.”) Israel sank deeper and deeper into spiritual darkness until she was worse than the pagan nations around her who had never known God. The Pharisees and teachers of the law who led Israel at the time of Jesus were manifestations of “this wicked generation” which Jesus denounced.
The United States of AmericaThis is what has happened also to the kingdom of God in the United States. Over two centuries ago the pilgrims risked their lives to come to the New World to escape from the bondage of institutional religion in England. They wanted to worship God in spirit and in truth. This would provide the fledgling nation to which they would give birth a strong spiritual foundation.
As an example, what is now Harvard University in Massachusetts was founded in 1636 as a Puritan/Congregationalist institution, and trained ministers of the gospel for many years. Eventually God blessed the United States and raised her up to become the greatest of all nations on earth.
But like Old Testament Israel, the United States has now forgotten the God who blessed her and taken His blessings for granted. Harvard University is now among the most liberal of institutions and trains the most liberal of leaders, including the current American president. The Church in America has also committed adultery against God, leaving her first love and pursuing earthly blessings and doctrines of demons. The spirit has returned to the house it left, and brought with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself. And the final condition of America is now worse than the first. Scripture has once again been fulfilled.
2 Peter 2:22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
Our present darknessOver the past several decades, immorality and godlessness in America has steadily increased. But now these have taken a quantum leap with the election of an administration with a godless agenda. It wants American taxpayers to pay for abortions and seeks to advance the cause of sexual perversions and immorality. As an example, the Safe Schools Czar appointed by the current President was the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. In a 2000 Conference this Czar promoted the abominable sexual practice of “fisting” to 14-year-olds. The recently-resigned Green Jobs Czar appointed by the President is a godless Marxist.
Although the current President claims to be a Christian, he declares that the United States is no longer a Christian country. In speeches outside of the United States in Musl__m countries, he extols Isl--m. The Army’s response to the November 2009 killings of twelve soldiers at Fort Hood by a radical American Musl__m officer is to enlist more American Musl__m soldiers. We could go on with the attempt of the current administration to lead us in the direction of wealth redistribution, socialism, and Marxism. America has now expelled God from the public forum and elected a godless president to lead her. The zeal of this president for his leftist agenda is religious in intensity. As has been said, elections have consequences.
U.S. President removing his shoes at the Isl--mic Prayer Day event held at the White House in December 2009
As it was in Israel at the time of the Messiah’s first appearing, so it is now in America and the west on the eve of the Messiah’s second appearing. Like the Pharisees who led Israel, this generation will not be forgiven for its sin; they will not be given grace unto repentance. They are a brood of vipers, and are incapable of saying anything good. Their father is the devil, who is the father of lies. Whatever they say, even if it sounds good, is for the purpose of advancing their godless agenda.
The Church is to blameBut they are in power because a majority of Americans elected them. For this the Church in America is ultimately to blame. We have preached a powerless and diluted gospel of earthly comfort and blessings to tickle people’s ears, resulting in immature and fruitless believers. We have accepted every strange wind of doctrine and every preacher selling snake oil. The world can see through the hucksters who appear before millions on “Christian” TV talking about how God wants to bless them materially even as their hands are snaking around to reach into their pockets. Because of the hypocrisy and apostasy of the Church, many have dismissed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. One consequence of the Church’s failure to reap the harvest in America and to be a lighthouse to the lost was the election of the current president by a majority of spiritually blind Americans. Even many “Christians” voted for him. The Church failed to teach them properly.
In this way the Church in America is ultimately responsible for America’s gradual decline and slide into spiritual darkness. We have been unfaithful stewards of the land God entrusted to us. Is it possible that He includes us as well in the adulterous and wicked generation of the last days? To add to our sins, we have exported our Christianity to the Church elsewhere around the world and corrupted them as well.
It is time for the Church in America to repent and to make ready a people prepared for the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Two thousand years ago, both John the Baptist and Jesus preached to the Israelites, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is what the Spirit says to the Church today.
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