Empty, Swept, And In Order.

Bible Questions Answered:

“In Matthew 12 what is that purpose of the evil spirit story?”

Robel/ Adis Abeba, Ethiopia

Bible Answer:

Bible Text:

Matthew 12:43-45 NLT

43 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.

44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order.

45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.

That will be the experience of this evil generation.”

In this chapter the Pharisees had come against Jesus for His healings on the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:15,22 KJV

15...and He healed them all;

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

The Purpose of our Lord's words, verses 43-45 are this.

He is comparing that state of an individual to the state of a nation, and both are the same.

The Man:

Matthew 12:43 KJV

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none.

Job 30:3 NLT

They are gaunt with hunger and flee to the deserts, to desolate and gloomy wastelands.

Leviticus 16:20-22 NLT

20 “When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat.

21 He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness.

22 As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.

Revelation 18:1,2 NLT

1 After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor.

2 He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.

What is the desert?

A place of tremendous heat, an anhydrous land of death.

At every hand, remains of life that once was, now but bones, bleached by the sun.

A perfect picture of hell itself, and more than probably, place of the spirits origin.

First let it be known without doubt, such an entity, does not of its own accord, leave its safe haven willingly!

It must of necessity, be “cast out” by the power of God!

Once out, it seeks rest, but it finds none.

Isaiah 48:22 KJV

There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Matthew 12:44 NLT

Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order.

God created humanity to be His chosen vessels. His temples, filled with His Spirit.

I Corinthians 3:16,17 NLT

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

I Corinthians 6:19,20 NLT

19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

II Corinthians 6:16 NLT

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Ephesians 2:20-22 KJV

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner Stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

I Peter 2:5 KJV

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

God's vessels were not created to be, empty!

Either the temple is filled with the glory of God, or by reason of it vacuous surroundings, its doors are open, to that which is not glorious, but dark and evil.

Matthew 12:45 NLT

Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.

All, take warning!

These evil forces with which man must do combat, are “not,” stupid!

Young and old, be sure of its meaning.

Realizing that it might only be cast out once more, seeing how it had once, been already. It reasons within its tortured being, what must be done, so as to never to be cast forth again.

And in its evil wisdom, that comes from beneath, it ...”finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. “

Whereas the man was once possessed, now he is fully commandeered!

If only the man, while he was clean and empty had sought the things of God and filled his temple with the presence of the Almighty, his vessel would not have remained empty and begging, but full, full of the power and presence and glory of God, but alas, this he did not.

The Nation:

Matthew 12:45 NLT

“...And so that person is worse off than before.

That will be the experience of this evil generation.”

Our blessed Saviour had come to a people, steeped in tradition and rituals, not in a relationship to the living God.

John the Baptist, came and warned them, some repented and were baptized.
Jesus the very Son of God, came and brought the Word, and Power of God. He was a fountain of life.. Some believed, but many, many others refused to have Him. Even worse they claimed that the works that He did was by the power of Beelzebub.

Matthew 12:22-37 NLT

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.

23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder He can cast out demons. He gets His power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.

27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.

28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.

29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

30 “Anyone who isn’t with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn’t working with Me is actually working against Me.

31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven.

32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.

34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Now take warning!

Jesus stated, what is true of an individual, may be, just as true, for a nation!

Empty, swept, and in order, having heard the gospel, having seen great works of God, having seen time and time again the power of God. To neglect such, as to not give place or habitation to it, is to be a land of emptiness, inviting evil powers to reign instead.

Matthew 12:45 KJV

“...And so that person (that people) is worse off than before.”

Jesus warned, the Unpardonable Sin, is that of rejecting the call of His Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:31,32 NLT

31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven.

32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

Jeremiah 8:20 KJV

The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.

Hosea 10:12 KJV

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow (Hard) ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.

If the warning is refused:

II Thessalonians 2:5-12 NLT

5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?

6 And you know what is holding him back (Anti-Christ), for he can be revealed only when his time comes.

7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one (God the Holy Spirit) who is holding it back steps out of the way.

8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.

10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the Truth that would save them.

11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.

12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the Truth.

Christ's words to the Jews and Pharisees:

Matthew 12:38-42 NLT

38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”

39 But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

41 “The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.

42 The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.

Salvation Prayer