Luke 11:17-23

Rachel Workman: ¹⁷ He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. ¹⁸ You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive? ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ But if I am casting out demons by the power of God,^[g] then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. ²¹ For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe— ²² until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings. Satan is strong and the lure of sin is strong but Jesus us stronger and he has already overcome sin.

²³ “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. Simply put. So those on the fence about God are actually working against him. A non-decision about Christ is the same as a rejection. Saying I don't have an opinion won't cut it.

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John Burnett:  ¹⁷ He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. ¹⁸ You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive? ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ But if I am casting out demons by the power of God,^[g] then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. ²¹ For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe— ²² until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.

²³ “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.

Besides Jesus Christ having all power and dominion over all things made, we see here the other reason that Satan looses in the end.  His kingdom cannot stand because he is blind with power.  He cannot see that he will loose and that it is due to internal fighting in his camp.  The antichrist kills the false prophet who helped promote him through the one world religion.  He also steps into the Temple and demands that people worship him as god.

Verse 23 makes it clear.  You are either with Him or you are without Him.  Without Him you are doomed and with Him you are saved.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Luke 11:24-28

²⁴ “When an evil^[h] spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ ²⁵ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. ²⁶ 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.”

²⁷ As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!”

²⁸ Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”