“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. ~Matthew 11:12
I must say, there aren't many Bible verses that confuse me. Usually I can read the entire chapter, look through a few different translations, read a concordance for the Hebrew/Greek, check with the Holy Spirit, and feel pretty darn comfortable. With that being said, even after aforementioned due diligence, I continued to struggle with this one.
Is this verse saying the kingdom of heaven is under attack? Why "from the days of John"? Who are the "violent men"? Are they evil? Are we being called to defend the Word against those who would manipulate it? Are we the ones who, through our decision to accept Christ, violently take hold of salvation?
As I looked for a more detailed explanation I came across this... Taking the Kingdom by Force
Though I still have some questions, I thought this was a beautiful and well educated analysis.
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