BLOG

What is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

All sin is reckoned as a debt. Jesus came as a Redeemer to redeem us from sin-debt. However, not all are redeemed in their lifetime, for redemption is for those who accept Christ prior to the Jubilee. The majority of humanity—and creation itself—will be set free into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:21) through the law of Jubilee.

The law of Jubilee was designed to limit the amount of judgment that could be imposed upon a sinner (or debtor). It guaranteed the ultimate salvation of all mankind and the reconciliation of all things, whether in heaven, in earth, or under the earth (Philippians 2:10; Revelation 5:13). This, however, did not set aside divine judgment for a season. It only forbade never-ending judgment. Judgment was to be temporary (“aionian” in Greek, pertaining to an age). In this way, God could fulfill His New Covenant promise to all at the end of the final age.

This teaching, however, is often questioned by the church’s notion of “the unpardonable sin.” If a sin is truly unpardonable, then for such people salvation is impossible, and the promises of God must surely fail. He could not be (as Paul said) “the Savior of all men” (1 Timothy 4:10), for there would always be some exceptions who could not be saved in the end.

The term “unpardonable sin” is not a biblical phrase but is a theological misunderstanding of certain passages in the New Testament. So the NASB uses the term in its paragraph over Matthew 12:30-32. They base their view on a mistranslation of Scripture, caused by a failure to understand the doctrine of the ages. When they translate the Hebrew word olam and the Greek word aionian as “everlasting,” “forever,” or “eternal,” they obscure the issue, especially when it comes to the duration of divine judgment.

Speaking Against Christ and the Holy Spirit

Jesus said in Matthew 12:32 (NASB),

³² And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man [Jesus Himself], it shall be forgiven him…

To blaspheme Jesus can be forgiven in this age and in the age to come.

³² … but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

This translation is actually correct. The problem is that men do not really understand “this age” or “the age to come.” They think that “this age” is limited but that “the age to come” is never-ending. The fact is that ages have beginnings and endings.

Furthermore, the coming age is just a thousand years (Revelation 20:4, 5, 6). The duration of the age after that is not stated in Scripture. I believe that it is 42,000 years, ending with the Creation Jubilee after 49,000 years after sin is fully eradicated from creation.

The Pharisees who were guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit will not be among the overcomers who inherit the first resurrection. They are disqualified from being overcomers. They will not be able to enjoy the benefits of immortal life in the coming age. That is the essence of what Jesus was telling them.

In fact, the first resurrection will be limited to a few, for we read in Revelation 20:5, “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.” These Pharisees are among “the rest of the dead.” They will be raised for judgment at general resurrection and will be summoned to the great White Throne for judgment (Revelation 20:11, 12).

The Pharisees’ Sin

What is unique about blaspheming the Holy Spirit? The context shows that these Pharisees attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Beelzebub, “Lord of the Flies.” (The Jews altered the name slightly to read Beelzebul, “Lord of the Dunghill,” where flies tend to congregate. In their zeal to slander Jesus, they found it necessary to slander the Holy Spirit, by whose power Jesus had just cast out the dumb demon. In doing so, they identified God as Beelzebub.

Those Pharisees prided themselves as being avid followers of the Law, but in fact they were followers of men’s carnal understanding of the Law. They had put away God’s Law in order to follow the precepts of men (Matthew 15:3, 7, 8, 9). That lawless lifestyle simulated lawfulness, for they claimed that their doctrines presented God’s character and plan accurately. But if they had truly known the Law, they would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, for He fulfilled every word in the Law and the Prophets.

In the judgment itself, they will not be forgiven, but instead they will be “sold” (Exodus 22:3) as debtors to the Law until the Law of Jubilee finally sets them free into the glorious freedom of the children of God. This is the nature of the “fiery law” (Deuteronomy 33:2 KJV).

In a general sense, all of humanity is guilty of misrepresenting the character of God. Many (if not all) have attributed His works to others. The Pharisees attributed Jesus’ works to Beelzebul, which, Jesus said, blasphemed the Holy Spirit. There are many who unknowingly misrepresent God in similar ways, but it appears that the Pharisees did so deliberately in their bias against Jesus Himself.

In doing this, it seems that these Pharisees cursed themselves with blindness that will not be removed until every knee bows and every tongue confesses Christ at the great White Throne judgment. Ultimately, every curse will be removed and cast down, but yet the effects of curses always seem to endure until someone actually deals with them in a lawful manner.

For this reason, it appears that the Holy Spirit withdraws from those who are guilty of such blasphemy. Unless the Holy Spirit draws us, how can any of us respond with repentance? Hence, such people are incapable of repentance. While this may seem to be a harsh statement, it should also be of comfort to those who are sorrowful, believing that they have committed the unpardonable sin. Where does their sorrow originate, if not by the Holy Spirit?