In Matthew 11:12 what does it mean for the kingdom of heaven to "suffer violence"?

Question

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12, NKJV)

What does this verse mean?

Answer 1

The Greek text of Matt. 11:12 states,

^ΙΒʹ ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν ^{TR, 1550}

which may be translated into English as,

¹² since the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven is forced, and the forceful grasp it.

Matt. 11:12 has a Synoptic parallel in Luke 16:16, of which the Greek text states,

^ΙϚʹ Ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἕως Ἰωάννου ἀπὸ τότε ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγελίζεται καὶ πᾶς εἰς αὐτὴν βιάζεται ^{TR, 1550}

which may be translated into English as,

¹⁶ The Law and the Prophets prophesied until John. Since then, the kingdom of God is preached and everyone forces [themselves]¹ into it.

Exegesis

Two general interpretations exist of this verse and its Synoptic parallel.

1. βιασταὶ (and its Synoptic parallel πᾶς) refers to the enemies of the kingdom of God/Heaven who plunder and spoil the kingdom.
2. βιασταὶ (and its Synoptic parallel πᾶς) refers to those entering the kingdom of God/Heaven (i.e., believers).

As Wilke noted (translated by Thayer), the interpretation that “the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence sc. from its enemies, agrees neither with the time when Christ spoke the words, nor with the context.”² Likewise, Meyer commented (translated by Christie), “If others have adopted the idea of a hostile violence with which the Messianic kingdom is persecuted, or violently crushed and arrested (by the Pharisees and scribes), their view is partly an anachronism, and partly forbidden by the connection with Matthew 11:13 and with what goes before.”³

The Lord Jesus Christ was speaking to the multitudes.⁴ Those multitudes previously went into the wilderness to hear John the Baptist preach the gospel of the kingdom,⁵ for John was the antitypical Elijah, the prophet who prepared the way for the Messiah to preach.⁶ Then, to the same multitudes, the Lord Jesus Christ was preaching the gospel.⁷ Those multitudes were forcing their way into the kingdom after witnessing the works of the Lord Jesus Christ: the blind receiving their sight, the lame walking, the lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, and the dead being raised.⁸

The phrase «εἰς αὐτὴν βιάζεται» is arguably the key to interpreting Matt. 11:12 as it elaborates its meaning. Similar phrases are used by other Greek authors to indicate a group of people forcing their way into a place.⁹ In this case, it is believers who are forcing their way into the kingdom of Heaven/God.

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References

Meyer, Heinrich August Wilhelm. Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew. Trans. Christie, Peter. Ed. Crombie, Frederick; Stewart, William. New York: Funk, 1884.

Wilke, Christian Gottlob. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti. Trans. Thayer, Joseph Henry. Ed. Grimm, Carl Ludwig Wilibald. Rev. ed. New York: American Book, 1889.

Footnotes

¹ βιάζεται is declined in the middle or passive voice.
² p. 101
³ p. 225
⁴ Matt. 11:7
⁵ Matt. 11:7-9
⁶ Matt. 11:10, 11:14 cp. Isa. 40:3; Mal. 4:5-6
⁷ Matt. 11:1
⁸ Matt. 11:5
⁹ Aelian (Claudius Aelianus), Various Histories (Ποικίλη Ἱστορία), Book 13, Ch. 32: «ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἥκειν βιάζομαι». Polybius (Πολύβιος), Histories (Ἱστορίαι), Book 1, Ch. 74, §5: «τῶν δὲ θηρίων βιασαμένων εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν»; Book 2, Ch. 67, §2: «κατ᾽ οὐρὰν προσπίπτοντες εἰς ὁλοσχερῆ κίνδυνον ἦγον τοὺς πρὸς τὸν λόφον βιαζομένους»; Book 4, Ch. 71, §5: «τοῦ βιάζεσθαι καὶ πολιορκεῖν τὴν πόλιν». Thucydides (Θουκυδίδης), The Peloponnesian War (Ιστορία του Πελοποννησιακού Πολέμου), Book 1, Ch. 63, §1: «ἔδοξε...δρόμῳ βιάσασθαι ἐς τὴν Ποτείδαιανβιάσασθαι ἐς τὴν Ποτείδαιαν»; Book 7, Ch. 69, §4: «βιάσασθαι ἐς τὸ ἔξω». Xenophon (Ξενοφῶν), Cyropaedia (Κύρου Παιδεία), Book 3, Ch. 3, §69: «βιάσαιντο εἴσω».

Answer 2

In the larger context of the Matthew passage you cite (11:1-20), Jesus' focus is on John the Baptizer and John's ministry as Messiah's forerunner (see also Mark 1 and Luke 3). John's commission from God was to prepare the way for the Lord, and in essence John's message was a message (and baptism) of repentance.

The common people flocked to John, and John had many disciples, some of whom included even tax collectors and soldiers (Luke 3)! Generally speaking, however, the religious leaders within Judaism in John's and Jesus's day were not so enamored with John--and later, Jesus.

Remember the question Jesus asked the chief priests and elders?

"'John's baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?' They discussed it among themselves and said, 'If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 'But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet. And answering Jesus, they said, 'We do not know.' He also said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things'" (Matthew 21:25-27; see also Mark 11:30 and Luke 20:4)

Clearly, the religious rulers held both John and Jesus in low esteem, even contempt. They were loath to leave their comforts, familiarity, and yes, even their power and influence as elders within Israel for what they perceived to be a radical--blasphemous even--threat to the religious status quo. Rather than conform to the teachings of John and Jesus, they resisted them with passion and zeal. We know, of course, that the crucifixion of Jesus was the ultimate act of violence against the kingdom of heaven and its king, but what of their general resistance combined with their insistence that John and Jesus conform to them and not vice versa?

Here is where the violence of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 11 had its genesis. Those unrepentant leaders in Judaism thought that since they had "the prophets and the Law" (Matthew 11:13), they were in the right, while those "upstarts" John and Jesus were wrong. In other words, from their perspective, "If it ain't broke, don't [try to] fix it!"

Jesus' response to their inability and unwillingness to "get with the program" introduced by John and developed further by Jesus' teaching, revealed their ignorance of John's significance in the grand scheme of things.

"'For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John,'" Jesus said (v.13, my emphasis).

Jesus was in no way derogating the prophets and the Law; rather he was simply drawing attention to the transition taking place with the entrance of John the Baptist (again, "until John") and with his own entrance onto the world stage. Remember, John was the forerunner. He was like the king's point man whose job was to pave the way, so to speak, for the arrival of the king to a town or city. Like a public crier he would shout out, "The king is coming! Make way for the king!"

If there were obstacles in the road (e.g., fallen tree limbs, huge potholes, or other impediments) or possible dangers (e.g., protesters, an angry mob, or even potential assassins), the forerunner would address these issues and, presumably, either take care of them himself or assign others to do so. The primary obstacle in John's day was a plethora of sins and a dearth of repentance, especially from those who should have known better.

John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, was just such a forerunner. In a sense, his job was to prepare citizens for the coming of the king. When the king finally arrived, the forerunner would fade into the background. John said, quite perceptively,

"He [i.e., Jesus] must become more important, while I become less important" (John 3:30 CJB).

Unfortunately, both John and Jesus met with only resistance from many (if not most) of the leaders, elders, priests, scribes, and rabbis of their day. And herein was the violence revealed. The resistors claimed the kingdom of heaven for themselves, wresting it from "those radical upstarts, John and Jesus," and ultimately killing the more-important of the two.

These naysayers acted like a group of children playing games, with one sub-group playing "funeral" and another sub-group playing "wedding feast." One sub-group would try to get the other sub-group to play their game, to no avail. In similar fashion the naysayers would criticize both John ("He was a fasting demon") and Jesus ("He was a gluttonous drunk and party animal who hung out with ne'er-do-wells") and attempt to force both forerunner and king to fit their mold of how things should be.

That kind of behavior may not qualify in our minds today as violence, but we mustn't be too literal in interpreting a metaphor--a trope, all the while forgetting Jesus knew that one day soon the figurative (i.e., the metaphor) would become the literal, thus fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah:

"By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who [among them] considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke [was due]?" (53:8 ASV)

In satisfying their blood lust, Jesus' harshest critics and haters oppressed and judged him, not for a moment thinking that by doing so they were heaping the punishment they deserved on one who deserved not punishment, but worship.

Answer 3

The verse has nothing whatsoever to do with violence to be suffered by John the Baptist, Jesus or their disciples.

It has to do, rather, with the personal ascesis and self-denial that is necessary for a believer to practice in his or her life if he or she truly desires to follow Christ. As another responder pointed out, the underlying Greek might be better translated as "force" and "forceful", rather than "violence" and "violent". This is the meaning of Jesus' instruction that it is through losing one's life that one saves it (Matthew 16:25; Luke 9:24; Mark 8:35). It is also the key to understanding what He means when He teaches that one must be prepared to despise even one's own family if they are a hindrance to one's faith (Luke 14:26ff).

Answer 4

I will add a vote in favor of active and aggressive methods in going about the Christian walk. From Puritan author Richard Baxter’s work the Saints everlasting rest… Chapter 12 entitled “directions how to lead a heavenly life on earth”. And the subheading 7-6 “a slothful spirit is another impediment to this heavenly life”. in the paragraph that follows he uses the verse to emphasize that point including the line “If lying down at the foot of a hill, and looking toward the top, and wishing we were there, would serve the turn, then we should have daily travelers for heaven“ and… ”there must be violence used to get these first fruits, as well as to get the full possession”

Answer 5

The scripture talks about hard work that brings about the glory of God to the people who are working hard day and night to make the word of God fulfilled in peoples lives. I relate this scripture with the 3rd Chapter in the book of second Thessalonians where Paul said, "He who does not work should not be given food to eat even people should not associate with him or her.Hence, the kingdom of heaven is granted to people who have worked tirelessly for it.

Answer 6

I have always turned this scripture over in my head.. because it says “the violent take it by force”.. great comments/thoughts.. I think some people paint Jesus as a hippie- just all about peace, hope and love. Which in His right He is! But He defines how that looks through His Word. Not us. Sorry, side note. Context of what I am trying to convey. This scripture really goes against that grain of thought. I recently read a blog from an African Pastor. I heard it explained the best then I ever have before! I think it’s worth sharing; the Pastor wrote “the aggressive take it by force”. He added that the ‘passive will be forgotten’. His read on it was that if we want to be in or seize the Kingdom of Heaven or our destiny and calling in His will it’s not going to just fall in our lap. We have to be persistent in the Truth. Not give up or loose Hope but rather persist to shine the light of His Truth and all that He is! :-) Studying the Kingdom of Heaven or His Church and it’s mission (the great commission and He is the supreme Liberator) All we have to do is be behind (submitted to) His mission.. doing His mission and He will back up who He is and His express purpose! :)

Answer 7

As a first-time participant, I can only hope I'm not violating the rules as I understand them. Unfortunately "my answer" can't help overlapping that of user862, who has already provided persuasive evidence favoring interpretation 2 for "biastai" in the relevant context. It would be otiose to recite it again. The only non-overlapping part of "my answer" would be the observation that at least one respected non-specialist centuries ago favored that interpretation. It was Dante, who provided complementary comments about God's role in permitting the forced entry:

Regnum celorum vïolenza pate da caldo amore e da viva speranza, che vince la divina volontate:

non a guisa che l'omo a l'om sobranza, ma vince lei perché vuole esser vinta, e, vinta, vince con sua beninanza.

(Paradiso XX, 94-99, Petrocchi ed., Milan, 1966-1967)

The idea of the divine will wanting to be overcome and, once overcome, overcoming by its goodness, recalls other examples of the paradox of power and subjugation: the kenosis of Christ (Phil 2:7) and Mary's "Idou he doule Kyriou" (Lk 1:38), so soon followed by the triumphant "Megalune" (Lk 1:46-55).

(The software apparently won't permit hard returns in mid-phrase or after commas, as appropriate for the Dante verses quoted; maybe that won't matter.)

Answer 8

The question asks what it means that the kingdom "suffers violence". It seems to mean that the kingdom of heaven (which historically was Israel) "has been subjected to violence". It seems that in Israel's long history it never really experienced much in the line of peace and those who would rule the kingdom did so by force (ἁρπάζω). In fact, Israel was anticipating that the Messiah would bring political and military victory to Israel. That was not to be the case.

Jesus seems to be saying that now the heavenly kingdom will be taken by a pacifist. He, Jesus, will not fight:

John_18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Jesus' strategy was not to submit to Satan to receive the kingdom:

[Mat 4:8-10 ESV] (8) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (9) And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." (10) Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

He would not "seize" (ἁρπάζω) the kingdom but rather submit to God and trust God to exalt him:

[Phl 2:5-11 ESV] (5) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (ἁρπάζω), (7) but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (9) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, (10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Perhaps we should see this as a messianic psalm:

[Psa 75:2-10 ESV] (2) "At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. (3) When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah (4) I say to the boastful, 'Do not boast,' and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horn; (5) do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.'" (6) For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, (7) but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. (8) For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. (9) But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. (10) All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

[Mat 12:15-21 ESV] (15) Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all (16) and ordered them not to make him known. (17) This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: (18) "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. (19) He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; (20) a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; (21) and in his name the Gentiles will hope."

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The fact that the Jews were expecting the Messiah to raise an army may be reflected in John the baptizer's question:

[Luk 7:20 KJV] (20) When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

To which Jesus replies by showing that he is fulfilling his Messianic mandate:

[Luk 7:20-23 NLT] (20) John's two disciples found Jesus and said to him, "John the Baptist sent us to ask, 'Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?'" (21) At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. (22) Then he told John's disciples, "Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard--the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. (23) And tell him, 'God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.'"

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Summary: "For those looking for the kingdom of heaven to be taken by violence, you must realize that the kingdom is being assaulted right now, since John, as they embrace the gospel message".

Answer 9

In my personal experience. I might ask someone to read it a little different. If God calls you to his grace and he establishes his temple in you. The evil of this world will and is trying to dismantle the progress. See the building of the wall and of David’s city. The place God has for a believer is peace. But daily the violent enter it. So confirming the earlier writing that it certainly may speak of the Jews violently opposing babes with knowledge. What we see is a picture of what we don’t see. Jesus clears our sight to this truth. If a carnal Christian sees a righteous man embrace the grace of God. He himself will face violence to enter into that same relationship with God. But as a wonderful finish to this mystery. What god has joined. Let no man separate. We simply can not be separated from Gods love. But we can be violently overcome if we don’t let Jesus act on our behalf. We must also violently endure the gift God has given us. He must establish in us a knowledge of who we are and who they are. “I have not chosen you because you are righteous. But because they hate me. “

And in this case. The war still isn’t over. For whatever losses we endure trying to enter into or hold onto the love Jesus has shown us. They will be replenished in the age to come. This is what causes the anger of any spirit that has rejected Christ. That even when we lose. We win. This truth is impossible to see if we don’t understand the Old Testament. Whom even our enemy is. He “has rejected” Christ. Horrifying. Fascinating. All the above and many more are the mystery that anyone would willingly stand against the God of heaven. But this reality exists and it’s violent. I suspect scripture reveals to most that we entered into his grace violently wounded. Which could easily translate this into. We enter the kingdom of heaven with violence. I try very hard not to subscribe to interpretation when revelation seems contrary My revelation is that I seek after the Kindgom of God. And wow. What an absolute beating I took in that transition. But hearing Jesus words Let me heal you. Let’s reason together. Though your sin be like scarlet. I will make it whiter than snow. Imagine a spiritual realm that saw Jesus like we do in the flesh. Powerless and a teacher. No god. Just a story. Etcetera. Great ideas but no truth. No power My truth is what matters. And then boom. On the third day Jesus left he’ll with the keys in his hands. Then they did realize. They made a mistake. And here we are. Realizing. My God is good. I waited for him and he did save me. I called on him and he did afflict my enemy. I trusted In him and I was not put to shame. Waiting for God is more precious than lifting a finger for him. But lifting a finger after the battle while you lie in bed terribly wounded. That’s a miracle

Answer 10

This can be understood in the light of the New Testament claim, that the Advent of Christ provided to all humans a full access to the Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of sonship" (Romans 8:15), so as to enable them to obtain the second, eternal birth in Spirit (John 3:3) and clad their mortality in immortality (1 Cor. 15:53); in fact, exactly this is the entering the Heavenly Kingdom - a mortal becoming immortal through the Grace that was brought to humanity by Christ instead of the Law (John 1:17), superseding the latter (for it was completely and perfectly inapt to transfigure the fallen human nature, but was only as good as to check sin /Romans 8:3/).

Moreover, although the entry to the Heavenly Kingdom is already open, God does not force anybody to enter there without his/her free and desiring collaboration - synergy (θεοῦ γὰρ ἔσμεν συνεργοί /1 Cor. 3:9/), but a person himself should exert his efforts in collaboration with the salvific Grace bestowed freely by God, fight and defeat his sinful inclinations and gain victory with and through Christ, who has defeated the "world" (a.k.a. sinfulness of the world) (John 16:33) and who after the Ascension to Heaven became innerly dwelling in us and empowering us against the evil "Prince of this World" (cf. 1 John 4:4) and through our consent and co-action, acts powerfully in us (Col. 1:29) exactly to this aim: that we, victors in and through Him, may become also co-Kings with Him in the Eternal Kingdom.

That is the sense of "violence" - to be unmerciful against sin in us, against sinful drives in us and violently conquer them, plunder them in Christ, for it is He who plunders the dominion of devil in us (Mark 3:27), but not without our violent and valiant co- or inter- or reciprocal action with our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Just a metaphor: sometimes infectious wound may not be painful and even be pleasurable, or at least, habituated and slowly festering; but a bitter and unpleasant ointment is the only way to stop the decay and heal it; now, we do not create this bitter ointment, but medical scientists do, but ours is to dare to withstand the bitterness with our free consent and apply the ointment. Similarly, our sweet sinful inclinations can be only overcome by Grace vouchsafed by God, but to participate in this Grace may seem bitter for us, for then we have to abandon the sweetness of the habituated sin deeply dwelling in us, so here is the horrible real suspense and paradoxical mystery of freedom and responsibility: some people still choose sin, even if they know that it is eventually damaging for them, and embrace darkness rather than the saving Light (John 3:19), the others, however, dare to become Christ's valiant soldiers and be violent in fighting the tyranny of sins in themselves through aid of Christ gracefully working in them. (Of such courage also Plato speaks in the "Republic", saying that no man is truly courageous, not even Achilles, unless he dares to fight his passions and evil inclinations).

Thus, not only by Grace - as Augustine in his frenzy of "drunken" excesses against Pelagius day-dreamed - and not only by personal efforts with belittling of the Grace, as this crypto-Judaizer Pelagius day-dreamed in the direction of another extreme, but though the golden middle of the "Kings Highway" (Numbers 20:17) of the true teaching that gives due respect and homage both to the Grace=divine Energy, without which is impossible to conquer evil, and conscious free responsive co-energy with this salvific and evil-conquerng Energy, the "violence", on the part of a Christian, without which free co-operation it is also impossible to conquer evil and enter the Heavenly Kingdom.

Thus, "violence" is the graceful effort against the realm of sinfulness within us, which effort should be driven to the very victorious end: "I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered" (Psalm 18:37).

Answer 11

First, we need to clarify the term “kingdom” itself! Let’s make a distinction between Kingdom-A and Kingdom-X as below:

Kingdom-X: the timeless and unseen universe for eternal life (which is called Heavenly realm).

Kingdom-A: the executive power (hand) of God in the observable universe that we are living in.

Kingdom-A is The Spirit. The Spirit is the means for the exercise of control and influence over the observable universe. God as the possessor of the Spirit has the ability to wield force in the universe.

Now let’s take a look at some controversial and confusing verses in the Gospels:

Matt 12:28/Luke 11:20

Jesus confirms that he is casting out demons by the Spirit (Kingdom-A). So, no surprise, the Spirit had already acted on the person.

Luke 10:9

Again, the Spirit performed the healing. Say to the healed person that already the spirit (Kingdom-A) was near you!

Luke 17:20-21

“the kingdom of God is the midst of you”. Of course, the entire universe is filled with the Spirit. Kingdom-A, as Jesus implies in Matt 13:33, is like leaven that a woman mixed it with flour until all of it was leavened. For a better understanding we may compare it with Dark Matter/Energy.

Back to Matt 11:12

Its parallel is Luke 16:16, which implies the desirability and “rush’ for Kingdom-X. Obviously everyone’s dream would be to end-up in Kingdom-X since both John and Jesus proclaimed the good news of Kingdom-X. In the Peshitta version of Luke 16:16, the Aramaic root ‘HbS’ is used which has a connotation of ‘to rush/press’. This is consistent with the use of the same root in Mark 3:9, Mark 5:24, Mark 5:31 and Luke 8:42 where the crowd rush to reach Jesus. Matt 11:12, I would argue, misses the point completely! Perhaps lost in the translation process! The second part of Matt 11:12 seems to be a later insertion in an attempt to clarify the first part.

Answer 12

I read an interesting quote that helped me understand what the violence is that Christ refers to here:

Jacob was in fear and distress while he sought in his own strength to obtain the victory. He mistook the divine visitor for an enemy, and contended with him while he had any strength left. But when he cast himself upon the mercy of God, he found that instead of being in the hands of an enemy, he was encircled in the arms of infinite love. He saw God face to face, and his sins were pardoned.

"The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." This violence takes in the whole heart. To be double minded is to be unstable. Resolution, self-denial, and consecrated effort are required for the work of preparation. The understanding and the conscience may be united; but if the will is not set to work, we shall make a failure. Every faculty and feeling must be engaged. Ardor and earnest prayer must take the place of listlessness and indifference. Only by earnest, determined effort and faith in the merits of Christ can we overcome, and gain the kingdom of heaven. Our time for work is short. Christ is soon to come the second time. May God help those who have heard the warning message to remember that "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Mrs. E. G. White. The Youth's Instructor - May 24, 1900.

So the violence is the resolution, self-denial, and consecrated effort to enter His kingdom. It means to set our will (power of choice) to work by choosing God and the right in everything that comes our way on a daily basis. It means to have our entire being engaged in the work of the redemption of our own soul.

Many in the Christian world believes that faith excuses them from the effort of living a life that God can bless with eternal life. They somehow believe the effort to submit to Jesus's as their Lord as being a denial of faith in Him as their Saviour.

In reality it is true faith that brings us the willingness and energy to make the determined effort to forsake known sin. By praying in faith, we obtain the grace and strength to submit to and obey God.

In our own strength it is simply impossible to truly submit to God in obedience. We may stop doing certain things we consider to be wrong, but the fountain of our problems (our heart) is not changed.

Our natural unchanged heart has no willingness or power to obey God on its own but the death of Christ gives us access through prayer and faith to divine power so that we may take His kingdom by such violent force.

Answer 13

Matthew 11:12 seems to be critical to translate which might be the problem?

"But from the days of John the baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and [the] violent seize on it." (Darby)

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (KJV)

Below from Google translate:

ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven hastened and they seized it in haste"

But splited clauses gives translations that sounds familiar:

ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ
"but from the days of John the Baptist"

ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
"until the kingdom of heaven is complete"

βιάζεται καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν
"she is in a hurry and they grab her in a hurry"

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Also, in the verse before, about John the Baptist, rearrangements in Google translate can produce a more familiar context:

ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐκ ἐγήγερται ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν μείζων Ἰωάνου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ· ὁ δὲ μικρότερος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν μείζων αὐτοῦ ἐστιν.
"Verily I say unto you, John the Baptist shall not be raised among those born of women; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is his greatest."

ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, 
"let me tell you,"

οὐκ ἐγήγερται ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν μείζων Ἰωάνου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ· ὁ δὲ
"John the Baptist is not raised among those born of women;"

μικρότερος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ
"youngest in the kingdom"

τῶν οὐρανῶν μείζων αὐτοῦ ἐστιν
"He is the greatest of the heavens"

Answer 14

I think this probably refers to the various zealot-type movements that believed messianic kingdom could only come by overthrowing Roman rule. At least some of the Essenes also seem to have thought this way as shown in the DSS [War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness]. The reference to John the Baptist here is intriguing. The preceding verse states "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." The term "least in the kingdom" is used only once elsewhere, namely Mt 5.19. "...anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven...."

If there is a correlation here it may imply that the Jesus was not at all happy about John the Baptist, who did not become his disciple, and had just expressed doubt that Jesus was "he who is come." If so, then the kingdom suffering violence may have been a reference to the fact that Jesus' vision of the kingdom suffered from John's falling into doubt, failing to follow Jesus, and leaving the way open for the preachers of violence to gain a foothold. A few decades later, they would succeed in creating their revolt, with tragic consequences.

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Adding some more info in response to Steve's comment:

My reasoning regarding why Jesus may have been unhappy with John: in all four Gospels, John received direct confirmation from God concerning Jesus. In Mt. 3 for example: "the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." But in Mt. 11, the Baptist, now in prison, sends a question: "Are you he who is to come or should we look to another?" Jesus answers with a list of proofs of his healing works plus and his teaching of the good news. He closes the list with "and blessed is he who takes no offense at me." This seems to be a reference to John, an indication that John had taken offense at Jesus. Coupled with his characterizing John as lower than "the least in the kingdom" which I discussed above, I conclude that Jesus was indeed unhappy with John here. We'd have to speculate what John may have been offended by. An obvious possibility is that John may have felt that Jesus was guilty of 'sheep-stealing.' Among Jesus' first disciples in the 4th Gospel are several of John's followers: Andrew, Peter, Phillip and Nathaniel. Another point was that John taught his disciples to fast and refrain from drinking wine, while Jesus did not. John may also have thought Jesus was too "soft" in interpreting the Law. For example, John preached openly that Herod Antipas had committed sin by marrying his brother's former wife [Mark 6:18] while Jesus is silent on this. We should also ask why John did not become a disciple himself and whether Jesus was disappointed at this. We do see instances of John testifying to Jesus, but how consistent was he? According to David Strauss in "The Life of Jesus Critically Examined" the Baptist may have "detained a circle of individuals on the borders of the Messiah's kingdom, and retarded or hindered their going over to Jesus." We may also consider that a later group of John's disciples [the Mandaeans] considered Jesus to be a false messiah. This idea may have had historical roots in differences between John and Jesus during their lifetimes. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mandaeanism

Answer 15

This is very easy to answer. Satan is the god of the world system. Jeremiah said the earth is a prison. When Paul began to convert the Gentile world, Satan came against him as he did the other apostles, eventually killing them. The earth is watered in the blood of the apostles and martyrs for Christ. Satan is a violent fellow. When the true Gospel is preached by someone with Holy Ghost power, the result is either revival or riot. Today there are preachers all over the world in prison to keep the message from going forth. In America the democrats have done everything against the Gospel except to call preaching a crime. That’s next.

Spreading the Gospel makes you the #1 target of violence from Satan. You will suffer.

That’s why all Christian’s need the baptism in the holy ghost to receive power. Our faith stands in the power of God, not the wisdom of words.

Answer 16

It would first be useful to define what the "Kingdom of Heaven" is. In this verse, "Kingdom of Heaven" refers the the ecclesiastical government of the church, which is the kingdom of heaven on earth[1].

If you examine the Greek: καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν. (kai biastai harpazousin autēn) "and [the] violent (violent men) seize (take it by force) it ("her") " This verse is communicating that "violent" men are seizing control of the church, or plundering it.

This verse refers to the corruption of the Jewish Elders in the governance of the Church.

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^{1 Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven}

Answer 17

The Kingdom of God suffereth violence sonetimes from within and without. Violence is physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill OR strength of a destructive natural force. Violence against the church from without include persecution and attack of innocent and defenceles Christians including violent men seizing control of the church and plundering it. Destructive natural forces within the church are teaching of False doctrine, sexual sins and corruption within the body of Christ. Ordinarily these and many more ought to have destroyed the church but we are assured that the church will continue to match on and the gates of hell wil not orevail against it ( Matthew 16: 17-19)