The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Matthew #2527

Do you know what the unpardonable sin is?

Many Christians worry that they might have already committed it because they are laden with guilt feelings or are ashamed because of some sin or sins they may have committed... such as committing adultery. However, in today's study we are going to learn that the only sin which shall not be forgiven unto men (anthropos) has nothing to do with your falling short in the flesh, nor is it even possible to commit at this present time.

To that end and in order to prepare our minds for understanding exactly what the unpardonable sin is, let us go to the Word of God and learn about the first one who committed the unforgivable sin. His name was Lucifer and although it happened in the "world that then was (2 Pet. 3:6)" when man was not in the flesh, keep in mind that there is "nothing new under the sun" and just as he was judged and consequently sentenced to be hewn down as a "corrupt tree" to be cast into and perish in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium, so shall those who follow in his footsteps by becoming corrupt trees themselves, likewise be sentenced to perish and be cast right along with him into that lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).

We begin in the 28th chapter of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 28:12
Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
A lamentation is a sad song or sad story which this one indeed is, for it is about Satan, the fallen one, who is referred to here in Ezekiel 28 as the king of "Tyrus" which means "rock" in Hebrew. You see, Satan is the fake little rock, the false messiah, the abominable one, and NOT our Rock who is Jesus Christ the Living Word of God! "For their rock is not as our Rock... (Deut. 32:31)."

Now notice the status of this one among the children of God.

[13] Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
This verse documents that we are not talking about an earthly king but rather Satan, that old serpent from beginning who was in the garden of God. But notice that "every precious stone was his covering" which means that Satan wore the breastplate of a priest with the same exact stones as those of the Levitical Priesthood in Ex. 28. Check it out yourself. This is crucial to our understanding of the unpardonable sin for Satan was once "enlightened" and knew the truth of God's Word which at first he upheld in righteousness!

In other words, he was a priest of God, one who was anointed by God (next verse) to cover (guard) the mercy seat by upholding and maintaining our Father's truth and justice!

Ezekiel 28:14
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Again, Satan was in a high position of trust and responsibility and he once walked straight up and down, not to and fro, in the midst of the stones of fire, the children of God. In other words, he was perfect in following the ways of God... until his heart (mind) was lifted up which means he exalted himself!
[15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Satan began to exalt himself (Isa. 14) and as a result he became as a corrupt tree bearing bad fruit. Isaiah 14:13 "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north."

It was not just that iniquity was found in him, but that he "sinned", he "missed the mark", which is "chata" in Hebrew.

[16] By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence [i.e. corruption], and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Here is the definition of the Hebrew word "chata" translated "sinned":
sinned = chat*a', khaw-taw', Hebrew 2398; a primitive root; properly to miss; hence (figurative and general) to sin; by inferance to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causative) lead astray, condemn :- bear the blame, cleanse, commit [sin], by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend (-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin (-ful, -ness), trespass.
You see,the unpardonable sin that Satan committed in the first earth age that caused God to sentenced him to eternal "death" was to purposely and defiantly lead astray (chata) one third of God's children (Rev. 12:4), as in draw them away from His mercy seat of truth and justice and set himself up as the one with power and authority over the people and nations!
[17] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Satan corrupted God's ways (His wisdom) and substituted his own wisdom, which is really antiwisdom.
[18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Satan has been sentenced to "perish" in the lake of fire at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:10). That is why he is called the "son of perdition" in 2 Thes. 2 because he is the son who will perish. In fact, you will find his name is Apollyon in Rev. 9:11 which comes from the Greek word "apollumi" which means to "destroy fully".
[19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
So you see, Satan was the first to commit the unpardonable sin and for that he shall be destroyed fully so that "never shall he be any more".

We also find this same knowledge of Satan as the corrupt tree, the Assyrian, "te-ashshur*" (box-tree), of Ezek. 31:3 who led astray and deceived all great nations in the first earth age and caused them all to dwell under his shadow (of darkness).

Ezekiel 31:3
Behold, the Assyrian* was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
Trees are used symbolically throughout God's Word to represent men, even from the beginning in the garden. And this same "tree" who bore corrupt fruit in the first earth age, likewise bore corrupt fruit in this one... and by the way, the corrupt fruit was not an apple!

* See note in the Companion Bible, page 1150.

[4] The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.

[5] Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.

His influence branched out worldwide and became a "new world order". Again, their is nothing new under the sun.
[6] All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
My, that's a mighty big "tree" if all great nations can dwell under it, wouldn't you say?
[7] Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
"Waters" are also symbolic of people. Rev. 17:15 "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
[8] The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
Remember from Ezek. 28:17 that it was because of his beauty that he was lifted up and became a corrupt tree!
[9] I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
You will find that this good-for-nothing self-exalted "tree" will be hewn down and cast into the lake of fire as are all worthless trees that bear bad fruit. Again, trees are symbolic of people for actual trees cannot envy each other, can they? Nor do they have any knowledge of good and evil as did the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" that was "in the midst of the garden of God"... you know... the one that bore corrupt fruit! It is just that some people are little slow in understanding the simple analogies and figures of speech that the Holy Spirit uses to teach us.

Nevertheless, Satan willingly and unrepentantly committed sin (chata) for which there is no pardon by standing against the Holy Spirit of God and denying truth and justice to flow through him. You "see", he chose of his own free will rather to lead astray God's precious children. So with that knowledge and background in mind concerning the first unpardonable sin, and knowing that there is nothing new under the sun (i.e. in this flesh age), we are ready to return to Matthew and learn what "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is", for it is the only sin which shall not be forgiven unto men in this flesh age!

First however, you may recall from our last study that Jesus Christ revealed His power and His Spirit unto the Pharisees who not only witnessed His good works but even admitted that they were good works when they said that He did cast out evil spirits. However, rather than joining with Him and acknowledging the power of the Holy Spirit of God to overpower Satan's house, his evil empire, and "rescue the sheep from the pit", i.e. free the people from the evil one, they chose to willfully and purposely, because of the evil in their hearts (minds), stand against Him and deny His power and authority by actively accusing Him before the people of casting out evil spirits by the power of Beelzebub, one of Satan's names which means Lord of the Dunghill (how fitting). In other words, they attributed the good fruit He produced of coming from the "evil tree", of being produced by Satan himself, so that they could maintain their own self-exaltation, i.e. their power and authority over God's children, and keep them in bondage to their traditions of men, keeping also the children's hands withered that they might not be able to stretch forth and be healed and labor for the Lord!  Remember also that Jesus Christ "knew their thoughts", i.e. what was in their hearts, and they had become unrepentant corrupt trees which could only bear corrupt fruit!

Matthew 12:25
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:
We learned in Matthew 7:9 that there is only one thing to do with a corrupt heart (Mat. 12:35) which is a corrupt tree (Mat. 7:18) that bears bad fruit: Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
 
Matthew 12:30
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Christ is talking about "laborers", not the "sheep" who are those who have fallen in the pit of deception by the wayside. You see, he "that is not with Christ" is one who is not yoked with Him... overcoming Satan and his evil spirits by the power of God and laboring with Christ to gather in the harvest! In other words, Christ is the Good Shepherd who gathers the sheep to himself, even "doing good" and lifting them out of the (Satan's) pit on the sabbath day as we read in Mat. 12:11. But you see, there is enmity (Gen. 3:15) between Christ and His laborers and Satan and his laborers who work and labor against Jesus Christ and the truth of His Holy Word. They are likened by Christ in the gospel of John to wolves who catch the sheep and scatter the sheep, i.e. lead them away from the true Shepherd!
John 10:12
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
So as a laborer, you are either with Christ or you are against Him.
Matthew 12:31
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
Upon repentance and belief in Him, ALL manner of sin and injurious words in this flesh age shall be forgiven unto men... except one, and that is "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit". Again, as a laborer, one who gathers in the harvest" are you "with Him" or "against Him"? In other words, "What kind of a tree are you?" You see, "trees" are not like "grass" for trees bear fruit, hopefully good fruit... spiritually speaking!

Let us look at the Greek word for "blasphemy" which is the act of being "blasphemous".

blasphemy = G988 e?mia blas-fay-me'-ah
From G989; vilification (especially against God): - blasphemy, evil speaking, railing.
blasphemous = G989 blasphemos blas'-fay-mos
From a derivative of G984 and G5345; scurrilous, that is, calumnious (against man), or (specifically) impious (against God): - blasphemer (-mous), railing.
"Calumnious" is the act of uttering false charges or misrepresentations maliciously calculated to damage another's reputation (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary). Now notice the root words "blapto" and "pheme" from which blasphemous is derived.
blapto = G984 ??????? blapto blap'-to
A primary verb; properly to hinder, that is, (by implication) to injure: - hurt.
This is the key to understanding what blaspheme is. To deny and to willfully and purposely "hinder" is to stand against the Holy Spirit by denying the Holy Spirit and falsely teaching others, rumoring and claiming that His works are of Satan.
against = G5345 ????? pheme fay'-may
From G5346; a saying, that is, rumor (“fame”): - fame.
However, the time of the witness spoken of in Mark 13:11 has not yet come, and even then few people in this flesh age will even be in a position whereby they are able to commit the unforgivable sin. A word to the wise is sufficient.
[32] And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
In the light of His Spirit and with full knowledge of the presence of His power, for one to deny Him and teach against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven Him. You see, there is no sacrifice greater than that of Yeshua Messiah and if you "willfully" stand against Him, there is no atonement left for you! Think about it!

Again, what was the example set forth in Matthew 12? The Pharisees, the spiritual leaders, refused to teach the people the truth that the Tree of Life was present before them, that the Kingdom of God had come, and having seen and witnessed His power they stood right before Jesus Christ and knowingly and publicly denied His Spirit and taught others that His power was of Satan! That constitutes blaspheme against the Holy Spirit! Here it is:

[30] Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
Yes, they taught a boldfaced lie to the people, knowing in their HEARTS (Jesus knew their thoughts) that is was NOT the truth! In other words, they purposely and calumniously brought forth bad fruit, because of the evil in their hearts (minds)... because they were corrupt "trees".
Matthew 12:33
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
You "see", Jesus Christ had just produced "good fruit", even on the sabbath day, and by casting out Satan's demonics by the power of the Holy Spirit. Knowing therefore that it was good fruit, even as the Pharisees admitted and were convicted of it by Jesus Christ the Word of God, they refused to declare it to be so... i.e. to be a stand-up tree with Christ and declare it to be good fruit from the Tree of Life.

So if we were to ask the question, "Who can commit such an unforgivable sin?" The answer would be "trees"! Again, a word to the wise is sufficient. To that end, let's go back to Matthew 7 and review verses 15 to 20.

Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
The subject is false prophets who are those wolves of John 10:12 who look like shepherds but rather than gather the flock to Him, they "scattereth the sheep" with their traditions of men. Take heed for they are likened unto corrupt trees which produce corrupt fruit.
[16] Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
This analogy is simple, basic, and natural! You "see", one can easily tell the difference between a good tree and a bad tree by the fruit which is produced by the tree. To wit, if you walk up and pluck and orange from a branch, then without even seeing the trunk you know that it came from an orange tree and not a thistle... right?
[17] Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
All one has to do is check out the fruit.
[18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
This is the "heart" of the matter! Once a tree has become corrupt it is therefore good for nothing and must be gotten rid of.
[19] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Their is no forgiveness for a corrupt tree that is incapable of producing anything other than corrupt fruit. It shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
[20] Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
So take heed and understand the warning Christ has for the bad figs who are the kenites, the sons of Cain, and even to those teachers who are filled with their "leaven of hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1).
Matthew 12:34
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Jesus is talking directly to the kenites (vs. 25), the offspring (generation) of Kayin (Cain) who was the offspring of the viper (serpent) in the garden, who was and is the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" which bears bad fruit. How can one preach good things that bear good fruit for the harvest if one has an evil heart? He can't for his words are full of poisonous venom.
generation = gennema, ghen'-nay-mah, Greek 1081; from Greek 1080 (gennao); offspring; by analogy produce (literal or figurative) :- fruit, generation.
vipers = echidna, ekh'-id-nah, Greek 2191; of uncertain origin; an adder or other poisonous snake (literal or figurative) :- viper.
[35] A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
This is what the parable of good trees and corrupt trees is all about. Remember from Mat. 12:25 that Jesus "knew their thoughts", i.e. what was in their hearts!
[36] But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
This is serious business! God does not take lightly those who willfully work against Him by misleading and misguiding His children. You see, an "idle word" is not some harmless trivia like the joke of the day or what we call small talk or idle chat. Remember Christ is and has been addressing the kenites and talking about "fruit bearing" which comes from "speaking" which would better be translated "preaching"! Here is the definition of "idle" which comes from the Greek word "ergon" which means to work or labor.
idle = argos, ar-gos', Greek 692; from Greek 1 (a) (as a negative particle) and Greek 2041 (ergon); inactive, i.e. unemployed; (by implication) lazy, useless :- barren, idle, slow.

ergon, er'-gon, Greek 2041; from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act :- deed, doing, labour, work.

speak = laleo, lal-eh'-o, Greek 2980; a prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. utter words :- preach, say, speak (after), talk, tell, utter. Compare Greek 3004 (lego).

Be careful what you preach my friend, for you SHALL be recompensed accordingly!
[37] For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
In other words, by your "words spoken", which is the doctrine you teach, you shall either be found just or condemned, a good tree bearing good fruit or a corrupt tree bearing evil fruit. Therefore you better make sure you teach and preach His words and do not work against Him for the time is coming when the Holy Spirit shall give witness and testimony... which is that hour when the unpardonable sin can be committed. We can read about it in Luke 12:8-12.
Luke 12:8
Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
The time of that "confessing" before men is given to us in verses 11 and 12 below! (Look up "confess" for yourself in Strong's Concordance.)
[9] But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Here is Strong's definition of "denieth" which at this point needs no further explanation:
denieth = arneomai, ar-neh'-om-ahee, Greek 720; perhaps from Greek 1 (a) (as a negative particle) and the middle of Greek 4483 (rheo); to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate :- deny, refuse.
[10] And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
Go ahead and deny the Spirit of God the opportunity to speak the truth through you! Go ahead and rather teach lies unto the people knowing full well you are standing against the Holy Spirit and attributing His good works to evil! Go ahead and see where it gets you! Take heed and "Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt".

However, if your heart is pure and you are a true servant of God, then you need take no anxious thought nor premeditate what you shall say when you are delivered up, for as it is written the Holy Spirit shall speak through you as He did those on that first Pentecost Day following the resurrection.

[11] And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
This gives us the time frame when it is possible to commit the unpardonable sin. It is when Satan is here defacto and God's elect are delivered up, at which time the Holy Spirit shall come upon them (as on that first Pentecost day in Acts 2) to give His witness and His testimony before men. Should one choose at that time to stand against and deny His Spirit before men, declaring the fruit of the good tree to be of the corrupt one, it shall constitute blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

The point is, stay in His Word and be filled with His Spirit and then there is no need to be anxious nor even think about what you will say at the time of the delivering up, for as He promised those who stand with Him, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

[12] For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
Again, it is during that "same hour" when Satan is here, the hour of temptation when the Holy Spirit shall also be present and evident before men, that the unforgivable sin can be committed.

Until then, stay yoked with Him and focused in His Word. Remain steadfast as a faithful laborer with Christ until the end of this age and He shall indeed confess your name before the angels.

Thank you Father for your Word!

... to be continued.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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