Shabbat Shalom, everyone. Let's open our Bibles, please. Turn to the Gospel of Mark. This is the study that we go together. We are in the third chapter, and today we're going to look together into the second half of Mark chapter 3. I'm immensely enjoying the study of the Gospel of Mark because it really helped us, I'm speaking for myself of course, Help me to, you might say, go back to the roots of the days in which the Messiah Yeshua came to this world. How he was born, where he was born, what he had accomplished, how the reaction of our nation, the nation of Israel, was at the time when he first came.

the struggles that Israelis, the Jewish people have gone through when he claimed to be divine. All these things are amazing as we study the Gospels and we see the reaction of the people of Israel in those days and how he related to the nation of Israel. And so we are in Mark chapter 3 from verse 20. And so I'm reading, and the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold of him, for they said he is beside himself. And the scribes which came down from Yerushalayim said he has Baal Zavuv and by the prince of the demons castes he out demons and he called them unto him and said unto them in parables how can Satan cast out Satan and if a kingdom be divided against itself that kingdom cannot stand and if a house be divided against itself that house cannot stand and if Satan rise up against himself and be divided he cannot stand but hath an end no man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods except he will first bind the strong man and then he will spoil his house.

Verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall bless them. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation, because, they said, he hath an unclean spirit. There came then his brethren and his mother, and standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother or my brethren? And he looked around about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren.

For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother and my sister and my mother. This is the end of the reading today, Mark 3, verse 20 to verse 35. In preparation for this study of this second half of chapter 3 of the Gospel of Mark, I noticed that in these verses, which we just read together, verse 20 to verse 35, you might say there are two destinations. The one destination is the destination of eternal relationship with God. And the other destination is, you might say, eternal separation from God. What Yeshua was teaching here in the Galil, in the land of Israel, among our own people Israel, some 2000 years ago, he was teaching them a principle, a very important principle, that one might be eternally related to God, to the Messiah, and spend time and eternity with him forever and ever or one might be separated from the messiah and spend eternal separation from god eternal separation from the messiah and really what he's really saying that all have to make that choice in their lifetime and you and i can say this for us even today in this ministry meeting we are either in or we are out we are either believers or unbelievers we are either going to heaven or we are going to hell we are either saved or we are lost there is no in between there is not standing on a fence there is no way for young, for old, for boys, for girls, for men and women It doesn't matter who we are, Jewish or Gentile, we are either in or we go out.

We are either saved or we are lost. We are either going to heaven or we are going to hell. We are either believers or unbelievers. So Mark chapter 3 is a tremendous chapter, but of course we have to read it in context of the people to whom he wrote. Now to remind you that the Gospel of Mark represents Yeshua the Messiah as the servant of the Lord. He is the one of whom, as we have just studied yesterday, he is the one of whom Isaiah said in chapter 42 and verse 1, Behold my servant, God is saying, whom I uphold. He is mine elect in whom my soul delighteth.

I have put my spirit upon him and he shall bring forth justice to the nations. This is the Mashiach. This is the Messiah whom Isaiah by the word of the Lord spoke to Israel our people of all some 700 years before Yeshua was even born. He was prophesying that the Mashiach will come Who is the Mesharet Who is the Eved The servant of Jehovah He is the one who is going to come to accomplish redemption The promised one of Israel The one that our forefathers had been waiting from generation to generation And therefore the nation of Israel Especially who live in the time when Yeshua the Messiah was walking in the midst of them they had a great responsibility just as much as they had the great privilege to see with their eyes the messiah to hear with their ears the messiah to handle him with their hands the messiah yeshua himself privilege they had but responsibility comes along with it and so here we see beloved brothers and sisters really two major things that i would like to share with you in this ministry meeting.

The first thing we can see who are really the family that belong to God, belong to Yeshua the Messiah. And on the other hand, who are really not belong to Yeshua the Messiah and eventually will be separated from him for time and for eternity. And so we find out in verse 20 on, as we begin in the ministry, to remind you, just earlier, before the passage that we are on today, right now, Yeshua chosen 12 disciples. Shimon, and Yaakov, and Yohanan, and Andrew, and Philip, and Barthalmai, and Matityahu, and Thomas, and another Yaakov, and Tadai, and another Shimon, and the twelfth one was this man by the name of Judas, Ishkariot, which also had betrayed him.

If you will notice in Matthew and Mark and Luke, all these 12 names mentioned repeatedly in that list. He has chosen 12 men. He has chosen this Hebrew Jewish man, which he is going to use to be a blessing to the world a little bit even later on. He used them to serve him, to be his messengers, to be his shlichim, the apostles, a little bit later on. The list always began with Shimon, and it always ends with Judah's Ishkroyot. Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us the same list again, three times in the Brit HaChadasha, in the New Covenant. If you would turn to Acts chapter 1, you will find again the same list, but instead of 12, you have 11 there in Acts chapter 1.

Again, Simon, Shimon, Petros is at the beginning, but then is missing a man by the name of Judas Ischariot, because why? he betrayed the messiah he sold him for 30 pieces of silver and eventually he hung himself because he could not stand the fact that he sold this righteous man by the name of yeshua the messiah of israel and he eventually killed himself and they had to add another one to make at 12 again and they chosen by divine inspiration another man that is called Matathias and now they have 12 disciples once again.

Those 12 disciples to remind you beloved brothers and sisters he said to them in Matthew chapter 19 that they will sit upon 12 thrones and they are going to be the one that will rule over the nation of Israel in a messianic kingdom in the regeneration when Israel will be restored in a future day but the same 12 disciples became the 12 apostles the shlichim and they became the foundation of the assembly the church as we read of them in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 20 he are built upon the apostles and the prophets and he says jesus yeshua the messiah the chief corner stone as we read in ephesians chapter 2 and verse 20

so after he finished to choose those 12 disciples which become later on the apostles now all of a sudden he went back into an house notice that chapter 3 and verse 19 said at the end and they went into an house now we do not know which house it is it may have been the very same house of shimon petros in the town kfar nachum as we had it already in the earlier chapter we never know if it is in the house of shimon petros and andrew and his family maybe it was another house maybe he went back to natzeret we do not know but he went back into a house to me it seems

to be like the very same house in which he was there in Shimon Petro's house where the multitude always came there in order to have him heal them and heal the sick and meet their need and so in Mark chapter 3 and now in verse 20 and 21 we find out that the relative of Yeshua were very much concerned about him and they heard about what he did and what people have done and said about him they were very much concerned they thought that Yeshua is beside himself and that's why we read in verse 20 and 21 the multitude comes together again so that they could not so much as eat bread can you imagine

so many people came into that house and waited outside and even wanted to get inside that the disciples along with the Lord Jesus the Lord Yeshua the Messiah they could not even eat their meal people are coming at the door they are knocking at the door they are coming in they want to get in they want him to heal many of them who were sick because all along he was meeting their need and a multitude followed after him now just imagine beloved brothers and sisters in the time when the Messiah was here there were many rabbis or rabbanim as we say it in Hebrew who had followers who had followers and so if they had

followers for example like Shammai he had his own school in his days For example, Yochanan Amat Bil, John the Baptizer, he has his own disciples who followed after him.

Any rabbi would have many followers, but no one had as many followers as Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah had. So many people had followed after him. It was amazing. You remember that we read in the previous verses, verse 9 of chapter 3? He spoke to his disciples that a small ship should be waiting for him because of the multitude. Lest they would crush him. So many people followed after him. Now we wonder today, we're really wondering. Sometimes I'm really wondering. People following after all kind of movie stars, singing stars, actors and so on. There are a multitude of just watching them and seeing them. but when you are speaking about Yeshua from Nazareth, Jesus, the Messiah you find that the multitude do not follow after him and it makes you wonder but in those days, 2,000 years ago they wanted to crush him because there was so much wanted to be near him, to touch him and to be beside him he was a different rabbi you might say a different leader you might say a different teacher than all that were around in those days it says in verse 10 and I'm just going a little bit to show you of chapter 3 he had healed many inasmuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him as many as had plagues and unclean spirits when they saw him they fell down before him and cried saying you are the son of God imagine beloved brothers and sisters And so when we get to verse 20 of Mark chapter 3, the multitude came.

They couldn't even eat in the house because the pressing of the people who wanted to touch him, he wanted him to heal them. They were coming and following after him so they could not even eat. And then notice how interesting, in verse 21, his relative, the relative of Yeshua, was so concerned about him, they were thinking that he was mad. He was beside himself. Why? Because everybody was looking at him and considering him as a unique man, as the one that was promised by our forefathers the messiah that was going to come because of the miracle that he have done and so we read in verse 21 and when his friends that word in the greek his friends is para which actually mean in hebrew krovav his relative it's more than just his ordinary friends these were actually his relative his para his kovim his near kinsmen when his near kinmen hear about what he have done healing the sick taking the plagues away from people the man with the with the hand was healed and the people with unclean spirits the demons went out of them and they were all claiming that he is the son of God his family thought he had gone mad that he allowed them to do so now by the way if you would have been living in those days and perhaps you would be a physical relation to Yeshua the Messiah through his mother and father that later on he had brothers and sisters that were born I'm going to talk about it in a moment What would you think about that?

When somebody is coming and he's performing creative miracles on the spot, what would you do? How would you react? Either he's mad or not normal, you might say, or he is what he claimed to be.

Either he's a lunatic, as one has said, or he is indeed the son of God God the son you see if you and I were there 2000 years ago we would be astonished no rabbi conducted himself the way Yeshua the Messiah conducted himself no Pharisee or Sadducee performed the miracle that he performed as this man from Nazareth by the name of Yeshua have done you and I would have been fascinated never man spake like this man never man acted like this man never man behaved like this man well God said through the prophet Isaiah behold my servant he is my delight he is the one that I have chosen for myself I have sent you

Israel this particular servant who will come to you and he will be the one that will set the captive free give sight to the blind the lame will walk the blind can see the deaf will be able to heal those that had demonic spirit will be released from all these kind of things read Isaiah chapter 35 and you will see how Isaiah predicted this when the Messiah will come behold your God he is going to come but his family beloved brothers and sisters his relative heard of it they went out to lay hold of him for they said he is beside himself he is mad in Hebrew we say the words here his mind is

not really there something happened to this person that he is doing what he is doing and everybody following after him he is beside himself their relatives have said.

Now, that's that he had relatives and family members is very clear. Because after all, he was born to the virgin Miriam. Yosef was his stepfather, but he was a physical descendant of Miriam because Miriam was that virgin, the Alma, the Betula, which gave birth in a supernatural way way to the man by the name of Yeshua the Messiah. She had relatives, she had a father and a mother and a family. He had a family, but not only these beloved brothers and sisters, he had immediate family because after time passed by, Miriam became pregnant again by Yosef, her husband, and he had brothers and sisters that were born to Miriam, who were his half-brothers and sisters and so you notice now we have to jump over from verse 21 we will not read for a moment verse 22 to verse 30 and let's just jump to verse 31 his relative his family finally have arrived you see because according to verse 21 of mark chapter 3 they have heard all what he have done and they went out to lay hold of him.

They want him to take him away from the crowd that he will not continue to do what he is doing because they said he is beside himself. Yatsa midato. So they finally arrived to that place, whichever house it was, it may have been in Kfar Nachum, in the house of Shimon Petos. And when we arrived to verse 31, look what we read. They finally arrived, it says they came, Then his brethren and his mother, and standing without, they sent unto him, calling him. You notice that? They arrived to the place where he was. He was in the house. They stayed outside of the house. And they asked for someone to call him out.

Notice it says, his brethren, Achav, and his mother, Imo. In Hebrew, we know very well, Ima shelor. She was his mother, Miriam, and we also have his brethren here. Now, if you don't mind for a moment, turn to Mark chapter 6 with me, just for a second, to see this connection. And in Mark chapter 6, we discover who were his brethren. It says in Mark chapter 6, verse 1, And he went out from thence, and he came into his own country, And his disciples followed him, and when the Shabbat day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, from whence has this man these things?

And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? And then they said, listen to this, very interesting. Is not this the carpenter son of Miriam? The brother of Yaakov, James, and Joseph, Yosef, and of Judah, Yehudah, and of Simon, Shimon. And even more, he continued, and are there not his sister here with us? And they were offended at him. You see, apparently, beloved brothers and sisters, Yeshua, our Messiah, after he was born to the virgin Miriam, he had half-brothers and half-sisters that were descendants of Miriam as well, but through his stepfather, Yosef. And the Bible gives us even the name.

The first one is Yaakov. The second one is Yosef. the third one is Yehudah, and the fourth one is Shimon. He had four half-brothers, and also he had sisters, at least two or more. How amazing it is. Now, if you, again, please bear with me, if you would have lived in a home of Miriam and Yosef, when your older brother, by the name of Yeshua, is right in the midst of you, you would have seen that there's something different about this fellow. Everything he does is perfect. Every word he says is words that is amazing. He always obeyed the parents, never disobeyed. He always submitted to authority.

And I can assure you that he must have been distinct from all the others because they looked at him and they could never kind of reach up to him in that sense. They looked at him as a strange boy, as a strange man. Now imagine he was working with his father Yosef in the carpenter's shop in Natseret. Now he could, if he wanted, say, table. And a table would have been created. He could have said, whatever you want, chair, and a chair could have been created. But no. When he lived among his own people, he worked with his father. He went through the whole ordinary way of building cabinets, building tables, being a carpenter in a carpenter shop and so on.

He obeyed, he submitted as a man among all men. But now, the time of his ministry has come. And now when his ministry has come, he might say the purpose of his coming is to establish a relationship with men to a living God because all have sinned. Israel needed the Mashiach. Sin had to be paid for. And so he's now in preparation of going all the way to the cross, to the tree, when he will pay for the sin of this world. But as he's there ministering to the people, he wanted them to realize, I am the Mashiach, I am the Messiah. And he met so many needs, but his family thought that he's mad.

He's beside himself. Now I'm sure Miriam his mother knew very well because the angel told her that one that will be born of you shall be called the son of God. He will be born in a unique way. The Holy Spirit of God will come upon you and you will be impregnant by the Holy Spirit and you will be delivering a child, a son that will be the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of this world. And you remember how she sang and she praised God. I will rejoice in God, my Savior. She needed a Savior herself and she knew that. And that's why she was singing that song of praise to God that have allowed her to be the privileged woman to give birth to the Messiah.

So she is coming now with her sons and daughters. They have arrived to the house and they're calling him. Now, she knew very well while his brethren only wanted to take him because as far as they were concerned, he was mad. He was mad. He was beside himself. Initially, his brethren did not believe that he was the Messiah. According to John chapter 7 and verse 5, he says, for neither did his brethren believe in him. But beloved brothers and sisters, it's so precious because later on he got all his family to trust that he was the Mashiach. You read in Acts chapter 1 in the upper room in the city of Jerusalem after his death and resurrection who are those that are there in the upper room?

His mother and his brethren. They're all there. finally realized that he was the Messiah. In fact, even more, beloved brothers and sisters, two of his brethren became writers of the Brit HaChadasha, of the New Covenant. James, the book of James, and the book of Jude, Yaakov, and Judah were used by the Holy Spirit of God, the half-brothers of Yeshua, to pen for us today instruction about how to continue to follow the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. In fact, let me tell you, both of them, when they write their writings, you know what they say about themselves? For example, Jude, Judah, he said in Jude and verse 1, I am Judah, the servant of Yeshua, the Messiah.

I am Judah, the servant of Yeshua, the Messiah. That's what Judah wrote. And James, you know what James said in Yaakov? He said in his writing in James chapter 1 and verse 1, he says the same thing. I am James, Yaakov, the servant of God and of the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. At first they said he's beside himself. Later on, they bowed to him, recognizing that this elder brother of theirs is the Messiah of Israel, is the Savior of this world. And they wanted to serve him. They wanted to minister to God's people and to let them know about this wonderful person by the name of Jesus, by the name of Yeshua, the Messiah.

amazing beloved brothers and sisters and now listen to that we are back in Mark chapter 3 and in verse 31 when his brethren and his mother came and they stood without the door there in that house when Yeshua was with his disciples then in verse 32 we read the multitude sat about him and they said unto him look your mother and your brethren without seeking for you they said Yeshua your mother is outside your brethren is outside they are wanting you they are seeking for you and Yeshua said something phenomenal here in these next verses now he loved his mother and he loved his brethren he loved her so much that he said to Yohanan

in John 19 John behold your mother I'm dying I'm going out of here but here is a woman that you have to take care of her he said to Miriam behold your son he loved his family but he wanted to teach Israel and to teach you and I something that is very important and you notice what he said and notice that he asked a question in Mark 3 verse 33 he answered them and he said who is my mother and my brethren now everybody could say oh they are right outside your mother is Miriam your brothers are Yosef and Shimon and Yehuda and Yaakov These are your brothers, your sisters, they're all there.

But he wanted them to understand much more than that. He wanted them to understand that it is important for every individual not to only look forward for these relationships that we have down here on this earth, but he wanted them to understand the importance of eternal relationship. Because brothers and sisters, listen. You know, death sever all relationship. When one member of a family dies, that's it. Our relationship to our mothers and our fathers and our brothers and our sisters and all that we are uncles and our aunts are severed when death coming here into this world. I remember when I lost my mother, it was very hard.

The first time I realized that I have no mother. When I closed her eyes, when she passed away, I was called by the hospital. Irene and I went to the hospital saying that my mother had passed away. And it was very hard for me to realize I have no mother. The same thing with my dad, with my father. when we got the call from Israel for my sister that my father is passing away. And I realized that I now am an orphan, no mother and no father. It was hard to get a hold, but I realized that's it. Our physical relationship with each other as family members will end at death.

But what about half to death? Is their life after death? Is their relationship beyond the grave? And here is what he's trying to teach them. That's why he's saying to them in verse 34 and 35, after he asked the question, who is my mother and who is my brother? He says to them immediately, notice in verse 34 and 35, he gives an answer. He said, he looked around about on them that sat about him. These are the disciples and those that have accepted that he was the Messiah, he looked at them and he said, look, behold, my mother and my brother. Look at them. He didn't even go out as yet.

I'm sure he did later on because he loved his mother and his brother. But he wanted to teach a spiritual lesson. He said, do you know who are really my mother and who are really my brethren? Verse 35, For whosoever shall do the will of God, he is my brother and my sister and my mother. What he's really saying, that the eternal relationship with God supersede any other physical relationship that we have here in this world. And sometimes, brothers and sisters, we neglect to look beyond, beyond this world and what is the world he's presenting before us. And we neglect to realize that it is essential to make sure that our relationship with God is settled.

And that we have accepted the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, as our Messiah, Lord and Savior, So our sins will be forgiven and so our relationship with him will be more than just for a season but for time and for eternity. And that's why he's looking around and he wanted to teach everyone that was sitting around him and he says, You know what? Who are my mother and my brethren? Just look around. Those people that followed me. Those people that are doing the will of God by believing God's word, by accepting the word of God concerning the person of Yeshua the Messiah. These are my brother, my sister, and my mother.

And I'm challenging us. Now, I believe all of us here are believers, belong to the Lord. We've accepted Yeshua as our Lord and Savior. But remember, never forget that we are not going to be healed forever. One day God is going to remove us out of this scene. And we need to make things right with God in order to become children of God. One of the most famous verses that we all know by heart, John 3.16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This is a fact that we must grab onto it, and as we share the gospel with people around us, we have to emphasize not the physical relationship, but the spiritual and eternal relationship with God.

Now, if you please turn with me to John 1 for a moment. John chapter 1, Yohanan chapter 1, notice that in John chapter 1, and it says here, these are very important verses, in verse 10, John 1 and verse 10 he said, he was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not. He came unto his own and his own received him not. But then he said, in verse 12, But as many as received him, to them he gave the authority to become sons or children of God, even to them which believed on his name. And then he added in verse 13, the writer said, Which were born not of blood, no blood relation, nor of the will of the flesh, not because I wanted even, per se, and I was making it on my own in the power of my flesh to become a son of God, nor of the will of man, nobody made me a child of God or put me into a relationship with God.

I did not become a child of God because somebody put me into it by force. He said, no, but it is of God. To be a child of God, to be born of the Spirit of God is a divine work. It's not because I was born, in our case, those of us who are Jewish, who were born to the nation of Israel. It is a privilege to be born, to be part of the nation of Israel. But being part of the nation of Israel does not mean that I can reject the way of salvation, the way of forgiveness of sins, and still have a relationship with God.

It is not possible. We must be born again. Born from above, as Yeshua said to Nicodemus. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. You must be born again. Lehivaled mechadash, we say this in Hebrew. So the first lesson that we learned from Mark chapter 3, that the concern of Yeshua's relative, because everybody followed him and they claimed that he was the son of God, In those days, they claimed that he was the Messiah because he healed the sick. In addition to that, he also removed unclean spirits, demons, from people who were possessed by demons.

That was a proof that he was much more than just an ordinary man, that he was the promised Messiah. And beloved brothers and sisters, for us to learn from this is that we all, every man, must be right with God if he is going to have eternal relationship with God. All our human relationship will end the day of death. Death separates all relationship. It's gone. We have to make sure that our relationship with God had been settled. The price for sin had been paid. And that we are now belong to the Lord on the basis of the finished work of the Messiah. Paul said elsewhere, by grace are ye saved through faith.

And this is not of your servant, it is a gift of God, lest any man should boast. Not of works, not of works, lest any man should boast. God graciously gave us a new life by providing for us the Messiah. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, those that are in the Messiah are new creation. All things have passed away. All become new. So that's the lesson that we learn. And he wanted to teach his disciples there in the Galil when his family came and thought that he was mad, that he was beside himself. And he showed them, no, no, no, I'm not beside myself. I'm the son of God who came from heaven in order to provide redemption.

And they are following me. They acknowledge that I am the son of God. They are the one that are truly my brothers, my sisters. They are the one that have eternal relationship with God. But now let's look at the other side. Go back to Mark chapter 3, and in Mark chapter 3, verses 22 to verse 30, we read about what is known to be the unpardonable sin, the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit. Now, oftentimes we misunderstand and we think that we can commit today the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or the unpardonable sin. But in reality, the unpardonable sin was committed then and there when Yeshua was still among the people of Israel.

And you will notice it. I'll just make a reference for that. The equivalent passage to Mark chapter 3 verses 22 to 30 is found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 12. And Matthew gives us additional information which I will connect in a moment with this passage. So notice that it says in verse 22, here's the sinful accusation by the spiritual leaders of Israel against the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, accusing him that he cast out demons by the power of Baal Zvuv. Notice I'm reading verse 22, Mark 3, the scribe which came down from Yerushalayim said he has Baal Zvuv and by the prince of the demon he cast out the demons pause here for a moment they were accusing him that he himself was possessed by Satan and that the fact that he cast out demons earlier is in the power of Satan rather than in the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Now, that was a serious accusation. Now, if you remember, we just read earlier that Baal Zvuv is known to be, according to 2nd King chapter 1, who was that Baal Zvuv? We read that Baal Zvuv was the God, with a small g, of the Philistine, the Plishtim. In fact, it says here that he was the god of Ekron. Ekron was one of the cities that belonged to the Philistine. It says in 2 Kings 1, verse 1, And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahav, and Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and he was sick. And he sent messengers, notice that, and he said unto them, Go and inquire, notice that, not with the God of Israel, not with Jehovah, the God of Israel, but go inquire, or Baal Zvuv, the God of a crone, whether I shall recover of this disease.

Now imagine, the king of Israel, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah, is now asking from an idol, and an idolic nation to know if he will recover from the fall that he had through these letters, and he was sick, if he will recover, yes or no. That's idolatry. That's terrible. That's why in verse 3, the angel of the Lord, according to verse 3, he said unto Elijah, Eliyahu ha-tishbi, he said to him, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of king of Samaria, this is the king of Israel, Echaziah, the messengers that he sent, and said to them, is it not because there is no God in Israel that you go to inquire of Baal Zvuv, the God of Echor?

Is there no God in Israel that you can inquire of him? Why are you going to the idolic nation inquiring of his false God? Small g, how can you do that? The king of Israel, the king of Shomron. And so we read in verse 4. Now therefore thus says the Lord, thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but thou shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. Now God gave a message. You want to go to the God of Ekron, to this Baal Zvuv, and ask for him to tell you and answer whether you're going to rise up from your bed?

Fine, go. But I can tell you, you will stay in your bed. You're going to die in your bed. You are not going to rise up from this condition. And notice the name of this God called Baal Zvuv. It's come from two Hebrew words. Baal means Lord. Zvuv means flies. The Lord of the flies. And there was many reasons that you can have, why did they call these gods the Lord of the flies? And it became to be known by our own Jewish people as that which represents Satan and his demons. And Baal means Lord, Zvuv, the flies. And Israel, the Jewish people, the Pharisees used to call Satan Baal Zvuv, the Lord of the flies.

He had many demons and he was the head, you might say, the devil himself. And that's what become among our people known to be Satan himself. The Lord of the flies and those insects that troubled them and so on, they become like some sort of unwanted ones and just the same, like demons. That's what they do, the beating of Satan. They're doing evil and wrong things here in this world against God and against his people. And so, now notice, as we are back now, please, to our chapter in Mark chapter 3, in verse 22, they accused the Mashiach Yeshua that the miracle that he did in removing those demons from the people, he did that not by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, but by the power of Satan himself whose name was given from 2nd King chapter 1 the God of Ekron, Baal Zvuv.

And so that is a bad accusation. To claim that the Lord does his miracles in the power of Satan was as evil as could be. In fact, it was a national sin of Israel. of course, headed up by the leaders of Israel who accuse him for doing what he did, not in the power of God, but in the power of the devil. And so we read, beloved brothers and sisters, that's how we led into what is known to be the unpardonable sin. It is a national sin of Israel which brought about the judgment of God upon the nation of Israel, And he brought that judgment of 70 AD when the Jewish people had been persecuted by the Romans and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the scattering of our own people to all the nations of the world.

And by postponing the Messianic kingdom, which he wanted to establish had they received him. And so we read in verses 24 to 27 of Mark chapter 3, Yeshua explained why the scribes were wrong by attributing to him that the miracles that he did were done by Satan rather than by the Holy Spirit of God. And so you notice verse 24, 25, 26, and 27. First of all, he said to them in verse 24, if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. You mean, if I do what I do in the power of Satan and only in the power of God, well, then Satan, who is the head of his kingdom, fighting against himself.

Why would he want to remove demons out of people and have them freed from this demonic activity? If Satan was doing it, why would he want to take demons out of people? He would want to put more demons into people's lives. He said, how is it possible that I do it in the power of Barzavu, the prince of the demons? No, he said, if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. That's the first thing he said. Then notice in verse 25, not only if a kingdom, he narrowed this down in verse 25, he said, If a house is divided, it will never stand. This is verse 25.

He said, if a house be divided against itself, a house cannot stand. We know it very well. If you have a husband and a wife and children and a husband and a wife fighting with each other and the children fighting with each other, it will scatter the house. They cannot stand. The house needs to be united. Husband and wife and children need to love and care for each other in order to remain and standing firm continuing to be a family and enjoying the things of God but when they are divided they cannot stand. That's why there are so many homes that are falling apart these days.

He's saying to them you're saying that I did what I did in the power of Satan, Baal's womb it's not possible a kingdom cannot stand on its own when it's divided even a divided home cannot stand if the house is divided. Then notice thirdly in verse 26, he continues, he says, if Satan will rise against himself, he himself will not stand. I'm reading verse 26, and if Satan rise up against himself and be divided, he cannot stand but hath an end. Satan cannot fight himself, and you are claiming that I do the miracle that I do, heal the sick and take the demons out of people who were possessed by demons.

if I do it in the power of the Holy Spirit how can you claim that I do it in the power of Satan Satan cannot go against himself he's sending demons to harm people he doesn't take demons out of people and you remember what Ephesians tells us we wrestle not against flesh and blood Ephesians 6 but against principalities and power against the ruler of darkness in high places Paul said and then fourthly notice in verse 27 no one can spoil a strong man's house unless first of all he bind him I'm reading verse 27 no man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his good except first of all he bind the strong

man and then he spoil his house that strong man represents Satan no one did he's strong man in a sense he's the prince of the power of the air he has many demons that are followed after him and the Lord said this Satan need to be defeated in order to be spoils to be taken out and you know what would happen really at the cross when Yeshua died he defeated Satan and took all his spoil those that once belonged to Satan and trusted Yeshua the Messiah they are no longer under the power of Satan against them that's what the Lord have done and so verse 24, 25, 26 and 27 Yeshua is explaining and by

the way those are parables notice in verse 23 he said unto them in parables Meshalim in Hebrew Parabolo in Greek to cast alongside he giving us an example to teach us some of these lessons so we will ponder that and think whether it is indeed so.

And so now notice that and that's how we get towards the final conclusion of that what you call the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God. We read here the word by the way for blasphemy is gidufim in Hebrew legadef to speak against the Holy Spirit of God and so the Lord is saying to them in verse 28 and verse 29 notice that first of all verse 28 verily I say unto you all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men and blasphemies wheresoever they shall blaspheme in other words men may blaspheme and do all kind of sins in their life if they repented and turned to the Lord and confess their wrongdoing, they will receive the forgiveness of God.

But, verse 29, but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit has never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. Blaspheming against the Holy Spirit for the nation of Israel some 2,000 years ago is that the religious leaders of Israel, instead of acknowledging that Yeshua is indeed the Mashiach, the Messiah, and that the miracles that he made were only a proof that he was the promised Messiah, the Son of God Emmanuel, God the Son but instead of acknowledging him as the Messiah they say that he did what he did in Satan's power that was the sin which said the unpardonable sin the sin against the Holy Spirit of God and please beloved brothers and sisters Turn to Matthew chapter 12.

And I would like to show you that Matthew chapter 12 developed a little bit more and gives us an additional instruction that will help us to see that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit was a national sin of our own nation Israel and happened 2,000 years ago which brought about the delay of the Messianic Kingdom and the fact that the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the suffering of our own people in debt generation of the time when Yeshua was here on earth. And so we read in Matthew chapter 12 the same thing. Verse 31, wherefore I say unto you, Matthew 12, 31, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men and whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven him in this world neither in the world to come the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God was to direct the attention to Yeshua the Messiah and by rejecting the testimony of the Spirit of God while Yeshua was in the midst of the nation, claiming to be the Messiah, performing the miracles which he did, become for Israel a national sin that is called the unpardonable sin.

Rejecting the Messiah of Yeshua, which brought about the judgment of 70 AD and the delay of the establishment of the messianic kingdom which will happen in a future day now how do I know that?

it's about dead generation look at what Matthew is saying immediately in the next verses Matthew chapter 12 verse 33 either make a tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt for the tree is known by his fruit and then he continued in verse 34 all generation of vipers how can ye being evil speak good things for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak notice verse 38 then certain of the scribes and the Pharisees answered saying master we would see a sign out of thee and Yeshua said in verse 39 but he answered and said unto them an evil and adulterous generation notice how many

times he used the word generation this generation that was the generation that experienced the Messiah in his midst 2000 years ago all evil and adulterous generation seek after a sign there shall no sign be given unto thee by the sign of Yonah Hanavij the prophet Jonah for as Yonam was three days and three nights in a fish's belly so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of this earth he continued in verse 41 speaking about the same generation the men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Yonah and behold, greater than Yonah was here

or is here.

And fourthly, again the uses of generation in verse 42, the queen of Sheba shall rise up in a 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, greater than Solomon is here. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, it was the generation of our own nation, led by the Pharisees and the Sadducees some 2,000 years ago, while Yeshua HaMashiach was in the midst of the nation. They had the privilege of seeing Him and watching Him, walking with Him, observing Him, seeing the miracles that he had done, including the removal of demons out of men's lives.

But instead of accepting him as the Mashiach, they attributed his healing to be done, not in the power of Ruach HaKodesh, but in the power of Baal Zvuv, the Lord of the Flies, this Satan himself. And that's what brought about the judgment that they have experienced some 2,000 years ago. And that specific sin applied to these days when the Messiah was alive in the midst of our people, the generation that have experienced him in their midst. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, But the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto man, notice, neither in this world nor in the world to come.

The unpardonable sin could only have been committed by unbelievers, never believers. And specifically in the context it's applied to the generation of our nation Israel who have held in their midst Yeshua the Messiah and they rejected him claiming that whatever he have done he have done in the power of Satan rather than in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Now thank God not everyone believed what the leaders did, believed. Many of the early believers were all Jewish. They have accepted that Yeshua was the Messiah. They were not guilty in that sin. And if you look at the history, you find out when 70 A.D.

came, all the believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, were successful to flee out of Israel when the Romans came to destroy the temple in Yerushalayim. And those who didn't, from among our people, said to say, 1,000,000, 100,000 Jewish people were killed by the Romans. The temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av and the Jewish people were scattered all over and it took about 2,000 years 2,000 years until the nation now back in the land until Jewish people like my grandfather and like other grandparents Jewish people who realized we need to go back to the land of Israel to establish a state but all this is in preparation for Israel to come to acknowledge eventually the Messiah when they will look upon me whom they have pierced, Zechariah and they shall mourn they will realize that he was that promised Messiah that they have rejected for so many generations you and I are privileged to believe on him today He paid for our sin and sins made us part of a redeemed company and we are part of the family of God born of the Spirit of God born from above born again thank God for this and we look forward for the day when our people Israel as a nation will finally come to acknowledge that Yeshua indeed is the Messiah can we say amen to that?