太十二22-28提到撒但的国。一个被鬼附、又瞎又哑的人，被带到主耶稣那里。在圣经里，鬼表明对神的背叛。主耶稣把鬼赶出去。按照我们的领会，这只是赶鬼并恢复人。然而，按照主耶稣的解释，这关系到更重大的事。这不仅仅是赶鬼并医治病人，这乃是神国的来临。那里鬼被赶出去，那里就有神的国来临。
法利赛人恨主耶稣，他们批评祂的行为，说祂赶鬼是靠着鬼王别西卜。别西卜这名称是指鬼的管辖者。法利赛人知道撒但是鬼的管辖者，他们斥责主耶稣，控告祂靠着撒但赶鬼。祂斥责他们说，“我若是靠着别西卜赶鬼，你们的子弟又是靠着谁赶呢？”法利赛人对主耶稣所说的是虚谎，但祂对他们所说的是事实。请记得法利赛人是极端热衷宗教的。在他们自己眼中，他们是敬拜神的人。然而，主耶稣告诉他们，他们的子弟赶鬼是靠着撒但。按照他们的观念，他们是在敬拜神；事实上，他们是与撒但联合。法利赛人当然觉得他们是在事奉神，敬拜神，作讨神喜悦的事。他们不是异教徒，不是拜偶像者，也不施行巫术。他们是想要敬拜神并事奉神的人。但是，主耶稣却暴露他们，说他们的子弟赶鬼是靠着撒但的能力。这意思是说，他们与撒但是一。
主对法利赛人所说的话，启示撒但有祂的国（太十二26）。在神的国之外有另一个国度。原则上今天的情形完全一样。虽然有些人或许在名义上、在形式上敬拜神，事实上他们却联于撒但且事奉撒但。他们自以为是在神的国里，事实上他们是在撒但的国里。甚至当他们正在敬拜神的时候，也可能是在撒但的国里。他们也许以为自己是在为神的国作工，殊不知是在为撒但的国作工。
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The Kingdom of Satan – Matt. 12:28-29
The kingdom of Satan is mentioned in Matthew 12:22-28. A demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to the Lord Jesus. In the Bible, demons represent rebellion against God. The Lord Jesus casts out the demons from that man. According to our own understanding, it was merely casting out demons from a man and restoring him. However, based on the Lord Jesus’ explanation, this related to something much more crucial: it is the coming of the kingdom of God. Where demons are cast out, the kingdom of God will come.
The Pharisees hated the Lord Jesus, so they criticized his doing and said that he casted out demons only by Beelzebul. Beelzebul refers to the ruler of demons. The Pharisees knew that Satan was the ruler of demons. They rebuked the Lord Jesus and accused him of relying on Satan to cast out demons. The Lord rebuked them back by saying, “If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?” What the Pharisees told the Lord Jesus was a lie, but what the Lord said to them was a fact. Please remember that the Pharisees were extremists in religion. In their own eyes, they were worshipers of God, yet the Lord Jesus told them that their sons casted out demons by Satan. According to their own concept, they were worshiping God; in fact, they were united with Satan. The Pharisees felt that they were surely serving God, worshiping God and doing things that pleased God. They were not pagans, idolaters nor witchcrafters. They were a group of people who wanted to worship and serve God. However, the Lord Jesus exposed them and said their sons casted out demons by the power of Satan, meaning they were one with Satan.
The Lord’s words to the Pharisees revealed that Satan had his own kingdom (Matt. 12:26). There is another kingdom besides the kingdom of God. In principle the situation is exactly the same today. Although some may worship God in name and form, yet in reality they unite with Satan and serve him. They think they are in the kingdom of God, but in fact they are in the kingdom of Satan. Even when they are worshiping God, they might be in the kingdom of Satan. They may think they are working for the kingdom of God, but little do they realize that they are working for the kingdom of Satan.