A House Swept Clean

Introduction

It seems everyone you talk to today is saying the same thing, about how crazy things are getting. Every week it seems some other outrageous thing slaps you in the face. Something else that is unbelievable happens. Things that we would never have thought could occur just a few years ago are now becoming commonplace.

What in the world is going on?

Today I hope to bring some clarity as to why this is all happening. What we’re seeing are just the symptoms, the manifestations, of what’s really behind it all. Once we understand the root of the problem, we should not be surprised nor dismayed.

Our Nation has gone astray. Our Nation, just like ancient Israel, was founded on biblical principles and God blessed us mightily. But now, we’ve lost our way.

We’ve pushed God out of our schools, out of the public square, and out of our lives. We’ve turned away from God and pushed out the influence of His Spirit over our lives and now the prevailing spirit of the Nation, the zeitgeist, is no longer a godly one.

To understand what’s happening today, let’s begin by looking to the past.

Israel Turned from God

 

Israel was to be God’s model nation, a nation worthy of emulation by other nations. God had instructed the Israelites to wipe out the Canaanites because they had performed abominable acts and were exceedingly wicked. The Israelites moved into Canaan and God’s spirit prevailed as the Canaanite gods, the evil spirits were swept clean.

But over and over again Israel turned from God worshiping the false gods, Baal and Ashtoreth, and Molech.

 

The spirit of God no longer prevailed. As it had been neglected, even driven out, the evil spirits moved back in seven times worse than before.

As the spirit of the false gods, the demons, moved back in, the love of God was driven out further. The gods of the Canaanites that originally incited them to do such abominable things that God told the Israelites to kill every last one of them, these gods re-established themselves.

 

Psa 106:34-41 KJV

(34)  They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:

(35)  But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.

(36)  And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.

(37)  Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, [Heb.”shed” word for ”demon”]

(38)  And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

(39)  Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.

(40)  Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

(41)  And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.

 

Instead of wiping them out completely as God had instructed, they softened and began to tolerate their presence among them and soon “learned their works”, and they became like them.

There’s an explanation of this principle in a parable from Jesus in Matthew chapter 12.

 

 

 

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

Mat 12:43-45 KJV

(43)  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

(44)  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

(45)  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

 

What prompted the telling of this parable? Earlier in this chapter, Jesus had just healed a man possessed by a demon.

 

Mat 12:22 (KJV) Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, [a demonic spirit] blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

 

Mat 12:24-29 KJV

(24)  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

(25)  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:

(26)  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

(27)  And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

(28)  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

(29)  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.

 

It takes one stronger than the strong man to bind him and spoil his house. The Spirit of God is stronger than the spirit of Beelzebub.

Notice also, that when the Spirit of God has taken up residence, the evil spirit is cast out and the kingdom of God reigns the house.

We know there is a spirit world, a world unseen to us inhabited by spirit beings. We know these to be either God’s own faithful angels or fallen angels, unclean spirits, demonic spirits.

 

Eph 6:12 KJV  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 

This particular devil cannot find rest in the dry places. There is no rest for him there. There’s no rest for wicked spirits as long as they can find some evil to get into.

 

Pro 4:14-17 NKJV

(14)  Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.

(15)  Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.

(16)  For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

(17)  For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.

 

Let’s get back to Mat 12:43-45

This unclean spirit is not happy there in the dry places. It’s not happy being driven out and can’t rest until it is working wickedness in someone’s life. So, what does this demonic spirit do? It returns to the man, his previous “house,” to check on things there.

 

And what does he find?

 

Mat 12:43-45 KJV

(43)  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

(44)  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

(45)  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

 

Notice three things he says about the man who was the former residence of this unclean spirit, his house. It says it was empty. It was swept. And it was garnished.

The house was empty. The unclean spirit had been driven out and God’s Spirit had replaced it, but now he finds the house is empty. The clean spirit that had driven the demon out was no longer there. There was no longer a stronger spirit present to protect the man from the evil one.

The house was swept. There was not even the dust of the former resident there, not of the unclean spirit, or of any previous resident, clean or unclean. Just swept of any spiritual presence, depth or purpose.

The house was garnished. Ever gone out to dinner and they bring your food to you and you find a little green twig of something on your plate next to your mashed potatoes? Maybe it’s parsley or they bring your dessert and there’s a little sprig of mint on top. Why do they put that there? I’m not going to eat it, so why is it there? I’m told it’s called “garnish” to make the meal appear more attractive. It’s all about “presentation.”

The house was not only empty and swept, it was also garnished. It was adorned. It was decorated. It was made attractive. It was inviting. It was put in order. It was made ready. This same word is used when it says the ten virgins “trimmed” their lamps. It was made ready.

Where was the Spirit of God who had driven out the unclean spirit? The man had not been diligent to accept it. It did not feel welcome and departed. And this man had now been made ready. He was ripe for the picking. Ready for any seducing spirit and doctrines of demons. (1Tim 4:1)

Man has a god-shaped hole in his heart. God placed eternity there. (Ecc 3:11) If it is not filled with God’s Holy Spirit, man will find some thing or someone else to fill it. The emptiness must be filled. The aching in his heart must be remedied. 

(45)  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

The evil spirit moved back in and brought seven of his like-minded friends with him and entered in and dwelt there and the man was worse off than before.

Then notice what Matthew says.

Mat 12:45 KJV

… Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

 

What happens to man can so happen to a nation, for a nation is made up of a generation of men.

Ancient Israel had been swept clean of the evil spirits, in a manner of speaking, driving them into the desert dry places. But they did not have the  indwelling Holy Spirit of God to replace them.

Paraphrasing the The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary –

The state of the nation of which [this man] is made the type.. has been left to the routine of common life and conventional morality, with no higher spiritual influence to protect and guard him.—E. H. Plumptre, D.D.

When they returned from the exile in Babylon, idolatry seemed banished for ever, not so much by the teaching of the prophets as by that of the scribes and Pharisees. But [though] the house was “empty, swept, and garnished,” there was only an outward ceremonial religion and rigid precepts, and the show of piety. And then, the old evil came back in the form of mammon-worship, the covetousness which is idolatry, and with it bitterness and hate, and the licence of divorce, and self-righteousness, and want of sympathy…” [our current victim culture] That state was bad enough as it was, but Christ’s words point to a future that would be yet worse..to the crimes, frenzies, insanities of the final struggle that ended in the destruction of Jerusalem.. the “last state” of that “wicked generation.”

 

At that time the “house” of the Nation of Israel had been swept clean of wickedness by the scribes and Pharisees, though hypocritical, and superficial. [Matt 23:27] Seven spirits worse than before, mammon worship, covetousness, bitterness, hate, crimes, frenzies, insanities, and all the rest, entered that nation and 40 years after Christ, culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem.

A lesson for us today. (1Cor 10:11)

America – A House Swept Clean

And so it is happening to America.

When this country was founded, we were founded on godly Christian principles. The American Spirit – those core American values to which we all subscribe, regardless of which region we live in, which political party we identify with, or our ethnic background. It’s who we are. It’s who we are as a nation, how we think of ourselves. It’s those fundamental principles, godly principles, that unify us as a people, those principles that are universal and understood by, and adhered to by all.

America had been swept clean by Christianity. The evil spirits had been cast out by the gospel, the Word of God, and the power of God’s Spirit. Truth, justice, and the American Way was the Christian Way, God’s Way. A nation takes on the nature of the God it worships. (Acts 17:28)

The house was swept clean and God’s way reigned supreme. The Bible was taught in our schools. In fact, early on, it was the only book many people had. From an early age, godly character was taught in the home and schools, and upheld in the community.

The false gods, the demonic forces, were driven out. They were driven out of the house by God’s Holy Spirit. They were driven out of the land by God’s people and God set a hedge of protection about the land to prevent them from re-entering. He is restraining them still until such time as that restraint will be removed.

The ways of those who would deliberately pervert and destroy those godly principles, once upon a time, were not welcome. They were not tolerated. And they’ve been held in abeyance for most of the last 200+ years.

But they are still here.

Over time, we turned away from God, a falling away, apostatized (2Thes 2:3) and we see the Spirit of God gradually departing and the hedge of protection is being removed.

 

We’ve lost our convictions of conscience and through a spirit of tolerance and openness we opened the door to allow our culture to be influenced and eventually transformed from one of a biblical worldview to one receptive to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.

 

2Co 6:14-18 KJV

(14)  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

(15)  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

(16)  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; [our house] as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

(17)  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

(18)  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 

As a nation, we have failed in the upkeep of our house, our temple; failed to maintain a right standing with God and our guilty conscience has opened the way for unseemly practices to creep in. 

“Who are you to tell me what to do? You have no right to judge me! You think you’re better than me? You’re just as bad as I am!” 

And because we had committed sinful offenses but had not repented, we had a guilty conscience.

“Who do we think we are to deny them of their lifestyle of choice? We’re no better than they are. Let them live their lives however they want. As long as they’re not hurting anybody, who cares what they do?”

So, we relented. We acquiesced. We tolerated their behavior and granted their request.

We did not have a clear conscience before God. We had not righteous indignation but a guilty conscience. We lost the courage of our convictions and we morally weakened and allowed evil to creep in.

To quote former President Ronald Reagan at an ecumenical prayer breakfast in Dallas, Texas, August 23, 1984  –

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

The converse is also true. Where good righteous men abide evil is not tolerated. A man must be confident in his convictions and in right standing before God with a clear conscience in order to feel justified in banishing evildoers.

So, the evil spirits are still here and waiting at the door.

 

2Th 2:7-12 KJV

(7)  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

(8)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

(9)  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

 

The Mystery of Lawlessness is already at work but is being restrained. Only He [God] who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way (the restraint, and the hedge of protection removed) and he [the man of sin] comes up out of the midst and he is revealed.

 

(10)  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

(11)  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

(12)  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

 

What we’re witnessing now are the symptoms, what results when truth has fallen in the streets and delusional thinking prevails.

The wickedness had been held in abeyance for the most part until the 1960’s. You could argue even earlier but there were definite movements, the sexual revolution being a major one, that began in the sixties to push God out of our society and out of our lives.

There were some definitive milestones along the way –

Notice how many are in June. Do you think that’s just coincidence? Or is it by design of the Evil One?

June 25, 1962 – the U.S. Supreme Court declared prayer in public schools unconstitutional.

June 18, 1963 – the U.S. Supreme Court declared readings from the Bible and recitation of the “Lord’s Prayer” in school unconstitutional. The Bible is no longer taught in school today. In some cases, now you’re not even allowed to bring one into a school.

June 28, 1969 – the Stonewall Riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village that sparked the Gay Rights Movement.

January 22, 1973 – Abortion was legalized in America in the landmark Roe v. Wade case. Since then over 60 million unborn babies have been sacrificed on the altar of convenience.

June 24, 2022 – U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion relegating the decision to the state level.

June 25, 1978 – the rainbow flag designed by Gilbert Baker, an openly gay man and drag queen, was first flown

November 17, 1980 – the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was no longer legal to display the Ten Commandments in public schools.

1992 – School officials could not invite clergy to give prayers at school graduation ceremonies

2000 – Students cannot recite pre-game prayers over the school PA system

June 2, 2000 – Former President Bill Clinton declares June as Gay and Lesbian Pride month and now we’re awash in rainbow colors, an abominable misappropriation of God’s covenant sign to Noah

June 26, 2003 – U.S. Supreme Court legalized homosexuality

June 26, 2013 – U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act

June 26, 2015 – U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of  “same-sex” marriage and on that same night the rainbow colors lit up the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, the castle at Disney World, and even the White House.

The rainbow belongs to God. It is described in Scripture as being part of the glory that surrounds His throne. (Rev 4:3) It was also the sign of His mercy in the wake of judgment after the Flood. (Gen 9:13) But now it is a sign of defiance against the ways of God—it is a banner of war, a spiritual war.

 

Luk 17:26-30 KJV

(26)  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

(27)  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. [every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually]

(28)  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

(29)  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

(30)  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

 

It started out small. We just want to be left alone. What began as a plea for tolerance, we’re now expected not to only tolerate them, but embrace them, even celebrate them!

 

The earlier tolerance has been replaced by a new “enlightened” intolerance. It manifested as political correctness, then wokeness, and cancel culture. Every word that can now be interpreted as expressing dissent from the newly sanctioned view is subject to judgment and censure. Anything that can be interpreted as challenging or differing from the new morality has to be canceled.

 

Except the LORD of hosts leave unto us a very small remnant, we shall be as Sodom, and we shall be like unto Gomorrah. (Isa 1:9)

 

And so here we are.

We’ve become a post-Christian nation. Christian in name only – CHRINOs without the spiritual depth of conviction or the moral fortitude to stand in the gap against the onslaught.

 

Deu 32:17  They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

 

And what do we see moving in to take its place? As we turned from God, we see evidence of these “new gods.”

Seven spirits worse than before!

Americans now serve and are mastered by the new gods of money, pleasure, success, acceptance, sexual gratification, addictions, work, comfort, the internet, self-fulfillment, self-obsession, science and technology, and countless other gods and idols of the modern world.

We;ve tried to reclaim our godly principles and values through political means. If we can just put the right man in the White House, we can get back on track. If we can just elect the right people to Congress, we can fix this. But this is not a political problem.

Technology will save us. It always has. The next big technology is artificial intelligence, or AI. Computers and robots who are supposedly smarter than us, they’ll save us. Think so? No, they won’t. This not a technology problem.

It’s a spiritual problem. You can’t solve spiritual problems by political means, or technological means.

Can we turn this around? 2Chron 7:14 says we can.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Ch 7:14)

 

I don’t see the leaders of our country repenting on a wholesale national level though. Do you? That’s what it will take. I think we’re past the tipping point of ever being able to reverse course until Christ returns.

Now we could become outraged and infuriated by every one of the weekly incursions we hear about in the news but remember, Christ told us not to be dismayed because He told us beforehand. (Matt 24:25; Mark 13:23)

Do not be surprised by these things but rather look up for your redemption draws nigh! Know that the Kingdom of God is at hand! (Luke 21:28, 31)

So what do we do? Do we allow ourselves to be upset about things that are out of our control?

No. We have been given an understanding. So, rather than allow it frustrate us or make us anxious, we take it in stride. Rather than seeing things falling apart, we see things falling into place. We see God’s plan unfolding.

In the meantime, we’ve been given a commission to carry on.

We’re in a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of men and women. Don’t forget that.

We carry on like good soldiers of Christ carrying out our mission to teach all nations (including our own), teaching them to observe all things He commanded.

Knowing the end of all things and that God and Christ are with us to the end. They will never leave us nor forsake us.

 

Mat 28:18-20 KJV

(18)  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

(19)  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

(20)  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

 

Conclusion

 

We will read headlines and hear stories of unfathomable atrocities and delusional idiocy beyond belief. We will hear things every week that are taking place around the world and we will wonder how can these things be happening.

How is a multitude of organizations worldwide, different governments and corporations, able to push toward the same objective of a one world government? There are too many different organizations all over the world to effectively coordinate such an effort, especially to try and do so secretly.

They are able to push toward the same goal because they are all led by the same spirit. They are all of the Brotherhood of Darkness. They may be doing so with strong intention or they may be under strong delusion and don’t realize what they’re doing. Either way, if they are not sons of God, they are children of their father the devil who was a murdered and a liar from the very beginning. They travel the world over to make one proselyte and when they find him, they make him twofold the child of hell than they themselves. 

Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.

Our Lord Jesus Christ told us that the deception will be so strong that it will deceive, if possible, even the very elect.

Funny thing about being deceived. If you’ve been deceived, you don’t know you’ve been deceived.

Now we’re being told they have proof of alien beings here on Earth? Don’t fall for it. It’s a proven fact that one way to unite people is to give them a common enemy. To unite the world, we must have a common enemy outside of Earth. They’ve been conditioning us for this ever since the Justice League from Superman comics days.

Each and every one of us needs to examine what we believe closely. We need to know what we know and know that we know it.

 

Rev 12:11 KJV  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

 

We will only be able to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony.

And what else does it say?

And love not our lives unto death. We must bewilling to die for what we believe.

Young people – Live your life. Build. Plant. Raise children, future potential members of the family of God.

But don’t lose sight of the objective, the Kingdom of God, your very reason for existing. (Act 17:28)

This life is just a proving ground. A place for lessons learned, proven, and applied. But love not this life. If you understand the plan of God, don’t fear for your children. They have a place in the Kingdom. God has a plan for them too. Live your life. Walk by faith in the Spirit. Fear not, for greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

When we see the dark clouds on the horizon, the evil growing all around us, we know the storm is coming. Every week we see the symptoms of the seven evil spirits moving in. The world sees the symptoms and fights amongst themselves over the solution. But it’s a worldly solution directed by the devil and his demons.

We see the same symptoms and fall to our knees before the One who has the one true solution, the only solution that will work. And we fight the wickedness with the sword of the Spirit to keep it from our houses. We get our houses in order under the loving guidance of the Spirit of the Almighty God who made us and we stand in the gap against the encroachment on our doorsteps.

And we carry on! Just like good soldiers who have been given a mission – Take that hill or die trying! Never, never, never give up!

For we will triumph in the end!

…thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Cor 15:57)

 

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Reference: The Return of the Gods by Jonathan Cahn

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