Bible Discussion Thread

Matthew 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

This is another difficult verse in the bible. Different teachers have different views. But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the exegesis from the context, I come to this conclusion.

The back ground story is as follows. John the baptist was in the prison for the cost of the kingdom of heaven. He began to have some doubt about Jesus Christ as the messiah.
So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus.

Then Jesus replied with what he was doing. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He preached the good news of the kingdom of heaven. They were enough proofs of his Messianic

After that, to the crowd , he said, � From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

I believe that Jesus Christ was targeting to the ones who believed in him.

This is my paraphrase. Jesus Christ said, �John the baptist has already entered into the kingdom of heaven. Now he is advancing in and for the kingdom of heaven. So the enemies put him in prison. But John and the other strong men did not give up. They take hold of the advancement
of the kingdom of heaven. They kept on marching, for the victory was sure. Do not be discouraged or dismayed. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me. Know that I am.�

Another related verse is Luke 16:16.
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Here Jesus replied to the Pharisees, who loved money and who were sneering at Jesus, when he said, �No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and wealth.�

So, this is my understanding. Pharisees try to enter into the kingdom of heaven with their own way. But they will never be allowed.

They need to humble themselves, fighting against their pride. They need to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah. Only then will they be accepted into the kingdom of heaven.

But every one who humbles himself, overcoming against his pride, is welcome into the kingdom of heaven. The Holy Spirit gives them power to come to Jesus Christ.

There will be oppositions against the kingdom of heaven, whether entering into or advancing for the kingdom of God. The oppositions are either inside of a man or outside.