太十二28~29　我若靠着神的灵赶鬼，这就是神的国临到你们了。人怎能进壮者家里，抢夺他的家具？除非先捆绑那壮者，才能洗劫他的家。

　　神的灵乃是神国的能力。神的灵在哪里掌权，哪里就有神的国，并且哪里鬼就没有地位。借着主在马太二十八节的话，我们看见为着国度的争战，不是仅仅靠着人自己争战，乃是靠着人同着神的灵争战。在二十八节主说，祂靠着神的灵赶鬼，这就是神的国临到了。无论在哪里，神的灵施行权柄管理反对的局面，那就是神的国（马太福音生命读经，四六二页）。

　　Matt. 12:28-29 But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will thoroughly plunder his house.

　　The Spirit of God is the power of the kingdom of God. Where the Spirit of God is in power, there the kingdom of God is, and there the demons have no ground. By the Lord's word [in Matthew 12:28], we see that the battle fought for the kingdom is not fought by just a man himself, but by a man with the Spirit of God. In verse 28 the Lord said that He cast out demons by the Spirit of God and that this is the coming of the kingdom of God. Wherever the Spirit of God exercises His authority over the opposing situation, that is the kingdom of God. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 410-411)

　　马太十二章二十九节启示，在主赶鬼之前，祂先和撒但争战。这一节说，“人怎能进壮者家里，抢夺他的家具？除非先捆绑那壮者，才能洗劫他的家。”这里的家表征撒但的国，壮者就是那恶者撒但。家具，或，工具，器具；因此是货品、物品。堕落的人在撒但的辖制之下，乃是供他使用的器皿、工具。他们是他的货物，存在他的家、他的国里。捆绑那壮者，这话指明主赶鬼时，先捆绑撒但。人只看见赶鬼，没有看见捆绑撒但那壮者。因此，主利用法利赛人为难所提供的机会，启示出属灵争战的秘密。表面看来，主只是在赶鬼；实际上，祂是在争战，捆绑那壮者。这给我们看见，今天我们若要建立国度，就必须先捆绑那壮者。

　　捆绑那壮者的路就是祷告。当我们来到十七章，就会看见门徒来到主那里问祂说，为什么祂能把鬼赶出去，而他们不能。在二十一节，主告诉祂的门徒：“至于这一类的鬼，若不祷告禁食，它就不出来。”你若不祷告、禁食，你就不能赶出这一类的鬼。主对门徒所说的话，指明祂在赶鬼之前，必然先禁食祷告。我们要捆绑那壮者，就必须禁食祷告。主隐密地禁食祷告；门徒没有看见这事。我们必须向主学习，在隐密中禁食，在隐密中祷告。我相信主耶稣在地上时，常常禁食祷告，为要争战并捆绑那壮者。今天我们都必须在同样的灵里。我们的灵每天都必须是禁食的灵，祷告的灵，好叫我们天天都能捆绑那壮者，就是撒但，黑暗之国的王。

　　撒但在地上有黑暗的国，并且全地都在他的霸占之下。要从撒但手中得着一个人很困难。每个堕落的人都是撒但家里的家具。撒但的家就是他的国，在他的家里有许多家具，就是许多堕落的人。我们要从撒但家里得着一个堕落的人，必须借着禁食祷告捆绑那壮者。这就是为着建立诸天之国的属灵争战。……在地上有两个国：一个是黑暗的国，另一个是在光中诸天的国。如今这两国在地上互相对立，所以需要争战。我们都必须禁食祷告，捆绑那壮者，这样我们才能洗劫他的家。……这是真正的启示。很少基督徒这样读马太十二章，因为他们没有看见国度。对他们而言，国度不过是道理的说法，或是虚悬到将来的东西。但我们领悟，今天主对我们所作的一切，都是为着建立属天的国。我们是国度的子民（马太福音生命读经，四六二至四六四页）。

　　参读：马太福音生命读经，第三十三篇。

　　[Matthew 12:29] reveals that before the Lord cast out the demon, He firstly fought against Satan. This verse says, “Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will thoroughly plunder his house.” The “house” here signifies the kingdom of Satan, and “the strong man” is Satan, the evil one. The Greek word translated “goods” also means “instruments, apparatus;” hence, “goods, stuff.” The fallen people under Satan are his vessels, his instruments for his use. They are his goods kept in his house, his kingdom. The word about binding the strong man indicates that when the Lord cast out demons, He first bound Satan. The people saw only the casting out of the demon. They did not see the binding of Satan, the strong man. Thus, the Lord used the opportunity afforded Him by the accusation of the Pharisees to reveal the secret of spiritual fighting. Apparently, the Lord was only casting out the demon; actually, He was fighting, binding the strong man. This shows us that if we would build the kingdom today, we must first bind the strong man.

　　The way to bind the strong man is to pray. When we come to chapter 17, we shall see that the disciples came to the Lord and asked Him why He could cast out the demon and they could not. In 17:21 the Lord told His disciples, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” If you do not pray and fast, you simply cannot cast out this kind of demon. The Lord's word to His disciples indicates that before He cast out a demon, He surely fasted and prayed. In order to bind the strong man, we must fast and pray. The Lord fasted and prayed secretly. The disciples did not see this. We must learn of the Lord to fast in secret and to pray in secret. I believe that when the Lord Jesus was on earth, He often fasted and prayed to fight the battle and to bind the strong man. We all must be in the same spirit today. Every day our spirit must be a fasting spirit and a praying spirit so that we may daily bind the strong man, who is Satan, the king of the kingdom of darkness.

　　Satan has a kingdom of darkness on earth, and the whole earth is under his usurpation. It is difficult to take one out of Satan's hand. Every fallen person is a vessel in Satan's house. Satan's house is his kingdom, and in his house are many vessels, the many fallen persons. In order to take a fallen person out of Satan's house, we must bind the strong man by prayer and fasting. This is the fighting of the spiritual battle for the establishment of the kingdom of the heavens.

　　There are two kingdoms on earth: one is the kingdom of darkness, and the other is the kingdom of the heavens in the light. These two kingdoms are now confronting each other on earth. Therefore, there is the need to fight the battle. We all must fast and pray to bind the strong man. Then we shall be able to plunder his house. This is a real revelation. Not many Christians have read Matthew 12 in this way because they do not see the kingdom. To them, the kingdom is either simply a doctrinal term or something suspended for a future time. But we realize that all that the Lord is doing with us today is for the establishment of the heavenly kingdom. We are the kingdom people. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 411-413)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 33