| Highlights of DAWN | June 1989 |
A House Divided
“If Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?” —Matthew 12:26
OUR lesson in Matthew the twelfth chapter is prompted by what we see happening all about us in the world; the world is indeed a “house divided” against itself The Lord Jesus is speaking on this occasion. He had just healed a man of an evil spirit, as the record relates:
“Then was brought unto him one possessed of a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him insomuch that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow hath not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of devils. 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: and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God then the kingdom of God has come unto you. 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.”—vss. 22-26
This passage of Scripture brings out two points that are of particular interest to Bible Students. First, it calls our attention to the fact that throughout the ages, Satan has had a very distinct organization in the spiritual realm for the control of earth. Secondly, we are told that eventually a disruption would enter and destroy his organization.
What about Satan’s organizational arrangement? How has he maintained virtually complete power over mankind for the past six thousand years? The Bible describes the devil’s government in figurative language as a ‘heavens’. In II Peter 3:7 the Apostle Peter used the symbols of ‘heavens’ and ‘earth’ to represent the spiritual and earthly controlling powers, beginning with the fall of man. Another symbolism he used is ‘world’ (cosmos, Greek) or ‘order of things’.
Peter wrote: “By the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” (vs. 5) He describes the complete destruction of civilization as it had been organized before the time of the Flood. Only Noah and his immediate family, of all the millions living under the ‘heavens’ of his day, were carried over into a different ‘heavens’, which replaced the old regime. The new arrangement was not much of an improvement, since Satan was still in control. He was still the “prince of devils,” ruling the world of mankind through the fallen angels who were under his control, and who did his every bidding.—Mark 9:39; Matt. 12:24; 3:22; Jude 6; Matt. 25:41
We realize that in the realms of nature, the heavens have great power over the earth; and so in the Bible’s pictorial usage of the terms ‘heavens’ and the ‘earth’, the heavens are the stronger and far more influential powers to which the earth is subject. In the case of Earth we know that life would be impossible if there were no sun to shine upon our planet. And each individual celestial body in the universe has its role to play in conjunction with every other heavenly body—each is perfectly balanced with all the others—each soars solemnly on, along its own majestic course through the infinity of the universe, directed by the great laws devised by the Creator.
Specifically, however, we wish to consider what are some of the organizational arrangements which Satan has used to control man. He has used many tools: kingdoms, despotic rulers, dictators; but in particular he has manipulated mankind through religious authorities. In fact, the idea of a ‘heavens’ really refers more to the religious restraints Satan, and the fallen angels under his leadership, have put upon mankind than it does to the earthly governments. In some respects the kingdoms, etc., are represented bitter by the earth itself, under the influence of the heavens. For instance, under the extinct church/state societies of Europe, the church had considerable jurisdiction over all aspects of the governments they controlled.
In considering the Adversary’s influence, we find that since the governments were already set up to rule the people, Satan used them for his own purposes. This is brought to our attention in Daniel, chapter 7. There we read the interpretation of Daniel’s dream concerning four great beasts which came up from the sea. “Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.”—vss. 2,3
These horrible creatures were prophetic representations of the brutish universal empires which held sway over the earth for centuries. From Daniel’s prophecy, and corroborated by our knowledge of history, we learn that they were, in order of sovereignty, Babylon (ruling in Daniel’s Day), Persia, Greece, and Rome (not named, but pointed out in symbolic language as “a king of fierce countenance.” See Daniel 8:20,21,23.)
When one of these empires declined and passed away, Satan was quick to advantage himself of the next one, to wield his control over men. In Daniel 10:13, we read that “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” withstood the angel, Gabriel, to prevent him from comforting and strengthening the Prophet Daniel, but Michael, the archangel, assisted Gabriel, and he prevailed. This prince of Persia was Satan! In verse 20 we read the words of Gabriel, “When I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” So when Babylon was overthrown and Persia assumed its role as the universal empire—and later Greece and Rome—their unseen prince was again, Satan! In the New Testament, the Adversary is called the ‘prince of this world’ in several places by our Master: John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. By controlling the empires of earth, Satan had devised a very effective method of solidifying mankind under his power.
In Daniel the second chapter, these same four universal powers were pictured by the huge, man-like image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. The fourth kingdom, Rome, was represented by its two legs of iron—two divisions of its rulership. And during this period, Satan fostered another mighty, manipulative idea—the divine right of kings! This was a powerful means of quashing any argument against a monarch’s authority to hold his subjects under complete suppression. This philosophy was dominant throughout many centuries until changes, as a result of World War I, released mankind from its stranglehold.
And so we find, in considering the first point made clear by our theme text, that Satan very definitely has had, and continues to have, an organized method of control over the minds of men. Using governments already instituted by mankind, manipulating them to his own ends, he has tried for centuries to thwart God’s plan for setting up His “new heavens” and “new earth”!
Using religions organized by men, he has been a powerful enemy of God, well equipped to deceive—not by one religion, but by a myriad of religions! Think for a moment how it was with the sanction of the government at the insistence of the religious powers of the day that our Lord Jesus was arrested, tried, sentenced, and put to a cruel death upon the cross. Remember, also, that the Early Christians received no protection from their governments against being hunted and killed by their enemies, the pagan religionists. Think how the Christian Crusades, supported by governments, left a path of death and destruction behind them. Who was the instigator of these deceptions?—why, of course, it was the great adversary of God!
Pagan religions with their distorted beliefs and practices have denied the name of the true God for millennia! Christian religions have also misunderstood God in their belief of everlasting torture in flames of fire as punishment for the ignorant and the unrepentant. Many un-Christian actions have come before the public eye in recent years—massacres in the name of religion, such as that which took place in Guyana; and immoral life-styles of some outstandingly popular evangelists, have certainly been the hand of Satan—attempting to distort the Creator’s image through man’s desire to worship.
Having established our first point, we will go on to consider the second point: the time is already here, when a disruption in Satan’s control over the ‘heavens’ and ‘earth’ will take place.
The Apostle Peter continues in his second epistle, saying, “The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (II Pet. 3:10) The symbolic heavens and earth spoken of in this text are the very same heavens and earth which we have been considering—the ones under Satan’s control. Peter goes on to tell us: “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” The new heavens and earth will not be under Satan’s control, but authority will be restored to its rightful Lord, Jehovah.
In Isaiah 13:12,13 we read a prophecy foretelling how this change will come about: “I [Jehovah] will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger.” Because mankind is of great value to Jehovah, he will shake the unrighteous heavens and the earth, and release all men from their control.
We are living in the very day when this shaking is taking place. There is real chaos in the spiritual realm of Satan. His hold over mankind is gradually loosening. Since the nineteenth century, when the first beginnings of the philosophy of socialism began to flicker, doom was spelled out to Satan’s ‘heavens’. It is the first of three “woes” heralded against Satan’s evil empire, and this woe or doom is described in Revelation 9:2 as ‘smoke’ rising out of a ‘bottomless pit’. Very intangible at its beginning, merely a philosophy, smoke-like in substance. Quite rapidly, however, this rising up of the people against the existing order began to take on a semblance of organization, growing eventually to have a mighty impact on governments worldwide.
How that philosophy took hold and restructured an entire earth! It shook it from its very foundations, rearranged and reorganized it—the old ‘heavens’ are “dissolving”! (II Pet. 3:11) The church/state system is dead. Religion has come under question—atheism is a powerful force. Evolution rather than Creationism is taught in our schools. The powerful idea of the ‘divine right of kings’ is gone! Many of the old standards and beliefs held sacred for so long, have been modified by popular assent of the people.
Godless communism has controlled a sizeable portion of the globe for seventy years. Satan has found that he is not able to completely manipulate the people through religion anymore. He must divide his influence between false religions and atheism. His empire is being shaken so hard that it is beginning to break up, and crumble. Atheism has taken hold of the minds of man to a very large extent in many areas of the earth. Many religions have lost credibility even in the democratic countries. Churches are empty in Ireland, England, France, just as an example. Dissension is disrupting many of the well-established religions, controversies concerning the rights of the people to have more voice in the doctrines of their church. In point of fact, this is a socialistic force as much as the one seen in government. Yes, Satan’s empire is crumbling. His house is being “divided,” and is destined to fall—it shall not stand!
Daniel 12:1 describes our day as a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” One feature of the time of trouble mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy is the crushing of the power Satan has exercised over men through religion. This turmoil in Satan’s domain has caused great anxiety to men’s hearts. Many do not know what to believe anymore; the old doctrines are being questioned and changed. Seminaries are producing ministers with little faith or interest in the Bible—who sincerely believe that it is merely a collection of interesting fables containing moral lessons—who propound the philosophy that if you live according to its principles you will be more successful, richer, and happier. Some religious leaders have been discredited—their words and their deeds do not square up, leaving many to realize that they have been deceived and defrauded.
This realization has come through the increase of knowledge. Daniel prophesied concerning this, also: “O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Dan. 12:4) Are we living in a day when knowledge has been increased? Why, increased understanding along all lines—scientific, medical, mechanical, sociological, religious, psychological, etc.—occurs so rapidly that it is nearly impossible to record all of it! Were it not for the invention of the computer it would be impossible. And through this new knowledge, man has come to realize his rights, real or fancied, and his power to demand them from any who try to withhold them.
These are the shakings, the earthquakes, the lightnings of the second “woe.” (Rev. 9:12 - 11:14) These three woes spell doom to Satan’s heavens and earth—the last woe coming after the final, great earthquake: Armageddon (Rev. 11:12,13), and is actually the establishment of Christ’s kingdom—the new heavens and new earth—wherein every vestige of Satan’s old order of things will be expunged.
These earthquakes and lightnings have already greatly destroyed Satan’s kingdom. “As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. … Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens [false religions] shall be shaken.” (vss. 27,29) These words are from our Lord’s great prophecy in the 24th chapter of Matthew given in answer to the question of his disciples, “What shall be the sign of thy [second] coming, and the end of the world?” (vs. 3) Here again, the ‘world’ is the same ‘earth’ we have been considering—Satan’s world.
As the first “woe” politically weakened the church from without, so the second “woe” attacks religion from within. The old objectives of the church—to establish Christ’s kingdom in this age through worldwide conversion—now seems doomed to failure. (Rev. 8:13; 9:12; 11:14) Their understanding of the Bible (the sun and the moon) on this matter has grown very dark indeed, and has produced a pronounced weakening of the hierarchical objectives of the religious world. Mere survival is now its main concern.
Literacy has been a powerful factor in the division of Satan’s world. When Gutenberg discovered how to make movable type and printing became easier, literature on every subject began to be readily available to the public. Education of the masses enlightened them to the fact that they were being held in subjection as slaves, and motions were made to break free. The Russian people were dominated and persecuted by the Czar. There was a revolution there. Africa tore free from its suppressors. India broke the bonds of England completely in 1947. Saudi Arabia, Iran, are other examples. But instead of meeting these deplorable situations with composured calmness, working together to straighten matters out, the revolutionists become more vicious—slaughtering and killing!
But afterward, people gained a small degree of liberation from their oppressors. Just a few rays of light liberate millions—rays of light from radio, telephone, the press, books, magazines, television! How these means have divided Satan’s world, bringing it down, bringing to the present. world trouble, trouble, trouble!
There is a saying, “It is always darkest just before the dawn.” Joel’s prophecy speaks of a time like that. He says: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the Day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand: A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains”—as the darkness just before the dawn. (Joel 2:1) What does Joel mean? He is assuring us that there will be a glorious dawn, after the Lord accomplishes his purpose in the shaking the nations. There will be a morning spread upon the mountains! In the last verse of this chapter in which he details some of the particulars of the dark day, he says, “It shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said.”—vs. 32
Many prophecies tell of the great day when the Lord will establish his new heavens and earth, where righteousness will reign. In fact, Peter tells us that this wonderful time was spoken of by all God’s holy prophets since the world began! “He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”—Acts 3:19-21
Isaiah 40:1-5 says: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she bath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
Isaiah 45:22 reads: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear.”
Isaiah 55:11-13: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Jeremiah 31:3 assures us: “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. … For there shall be a day, that the watchman [watching for the dawn of the new day] upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. For thus saith the Lord: Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel [representing all the world of mankind].” Jeremiah continues his prophecy, concluding the thought of this chapter by saying, “And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.”—Jer. 31:7-17
Micah 4:1-5 is another prophecy which tells us about the times of restitution, or the new heavens and new earth: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nations shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. But they shall sit every man under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it!”
These prophecies describe the time of the third woe of Revelation. (Rev. 11:14-19) The deliverance of the people of earth into the true kingdom of Christ will destroy every last vestige of the control of this present world—Satan’s world—over the minds and hearts of the people of earth. Satan’s house, which is now divided and falling, will disappear completely, giving way to the “world to come wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (II Pet. 3:13) And these promises, which are just a sample of the many recorded in the Scriptures, are sure because, “Thus saith the Lord”!