“Who was Beelzebub?”……Answer: "Beelzebub" is the Greek form of the name "Baal-zebub," a pagan Philistine god worshiped in the ancient Philistine city of Ekron during the Old Testament times. It is a term signifying "the lord of flies" (2 Kings 1:2) One day Israel's new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.. Even archaeological excavations at ancient Philistine sites have uncovered golden images of flies. It was later on that the Jews changed the name to "Beelzeboul," as used in the Greek New Testament, meaning "the lord of dung." It referenced the god of the fly which was worshiped to obtain deliverance from the injuries of that insect. Some biblical scholars believe it was also known as “the god of filth” which later became a name of bitter scorn in the mouth of the Pharisees. As a result, he was a particularly contemptible deity and was used by the Jews as an epithet for Satan.……The word has two parts: "Baal" which was the name for the Canaanite fertility gods in the Old Testament, and "Zebul" which meant "exalted dwelling," which then became a name for Satan himself, the prince of demons. This term was first used by the Pharisees in describing Jesus in Matthew 10:24-25. "Students* are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master.25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons,* the members of my household will be called by even worse names!Earlier they had accused Jesus of casting "out the demons by the ruler of the demons"

(Matthew 9:34) But the Pharisees said, "He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.", referencing Beelzebul (Mark 3:22) But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, "He's possessed by Satan,* the prince of demons. That's where he gets the power to cast out demons." (Matthew 12:24) But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan,* the prince of demons.". ……In Matthew 12:22 Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. 12Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn't speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.

As a result, "all the people were astonished and said, 'Could this be the Son of David?' But when the Pharisees heard this, they denied that this could be a work of God, but instead declared: "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons" (Matthew 12:23-24) The crowd was amazed and asked, "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?"

24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan,* the prince of demons."

.……It is remarkable that the Pharisees reacted to this incredible miracle by Jesus in a way which was the very opposite of that of the multitude who realized that Jesus was from God. In fact, it was an admission by the Pharisees that Jesus worked miracles or performed deeds beyond the reach of any unaided human power, but they attributed this power to Beelzebub instead of God. Actually, they should have known better: the devil cannot do works of pure goodness. However, in their way of thinking, their self-absorbed pride, these Pharisees knew that if the teachings of Jesus should prevail amongst the people, their influence over them was at an end. So, the miracle they did not deny, but instead attributed it to an infernal power, "Beelzebub the prince of the demons."……But the greater question that remains is this: what relevance does this have to us as Christians today? In Matthew 10, Jesus is providing us with the very essence of what it means to be His disciple. Here we learn that He is about to send out His apostles into the world to preach the gospel

(Matthew 10:7)Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.. He gives them specific instructions on what to do and what not to do. In doing so, He warns them: "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues . . . All men will hate you because of me" (Matthew 10:17, 22)17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 22 And all nations will hate you because you are my followers.* But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.. Then He adds: "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!" (Matthew 10:24-25)24 "Students* are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master.25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons,* the members of my household will be called by even worse names!……The point Jesus is making to us today is that if people are calling Him Satan, as did the Pharisees of His time, they would surely call His disciples the same. In John chapter 15 Jesus declared: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me"

(John 15:18-21)18 "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.20 Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.

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