Matthew 11:12 (ESV)
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
Bible Commentary
Matthew 11:12 (ESV) is a Bible verse where Jesus is speaking about how the Kingdom of Heaven has been (and even now) is coming.
There is a key reference to the word “violence,” which is “has been coming violently.” This would make the verse read like this: “…the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently.” Since before the arrival of Jesus Christ, there have been spiritual forces in action trying to prevent the Kingdom of Heaven from arriving on earth.
Jesus is the ultimate victory for all of mankind. He overcame the world by living the perfect life, and then offered Himself as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for man’s sin. All along, Satan has been trying to prevent, delay and hide Jesus’ coming, both in human form and even now in spiritual form.
Satan is very good at distracting us from the truth, which is that we are victorious over him in Jesus Christ. If we have asked Christ into our hearts, then we have already won the battle because we are one in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 6:12 says, ”For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Satan distracts us with lies to divide us from God and from one another. That is why it is so important to learn the truth from the Bible, so we can recognize a lie and reject it, then stand firm in the truth. Ephesians 6:16 speaks of the shield of faith. What you believe—a lie or the truth—can be a matter of life and death.
Unlocking the Truth – Kingdom of Heaven
Whether we realize it or not, we are in a spiritual battle. 1 Peter 2:11 says, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
If we are one with Christ, then any fleshly lust we experience is a lie, from Satan and his armies. We must stand firm against it and claim the truth, that we are victorious—holy and righteous—in Christ.
The last part of Matthew 11:12 says “…the violent take it by force.” We cannot win a battle if we refuse to believe we are in one.
We are in battle with Satan and his armies over the Kingdom of Heaven. We must take it (the Kingdom of Heaven) by force. We do this by believing the truth by faith.
Force is faith in action.
When we defeat lies in the spiritual realm, then victory surfaces in the physical realm. Jesus told his disciples, “the kingdom is within you” (Luke 17:21). Christ has equipped us with victory, according to what we believe (Matthew 9:29).
Jesus is coming in and through us, as we unite in faith. The power of darkness cannot win against a united people in Jesus Christ. Study the Bible verse of Matthew 11:12 to increase your faith in the truth, so that united, we can take the Kingdom of Heaven and live in the confident victory of Jesus Christ.
More Bible Verses about End Times
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