Q4. Forecefully Pressing into the Kingdom

[Pastor Ralph]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[Travis63]

In my opinion Matthew 11:12 is more so about spiritual warfare. It is true at this time that there were external factors (yes the most of the Religious leaders vigorously opposed Christ. yes Herod had done his part to twart the kingdom by seizing one of it's messengers {the Forerunner}] because there was opposition, however a Believer cannot force their way into the kingdom. Yes according to Luke 16:16 "every man presses into it; {every man entereth violently into it}"; the it being the kingdom of God. A person must upon hearing, receiving respond and or take actions upon what they have recieved to enter in. Just as told about the Sower and the Seed, the prepared soil (good) was the heart whereby the Word was most fruitful.

There are some who do not, nor will not struggle with believing in or on Christ, they oppose who He is and what He stand for (Luke 7:29-30). The way into the kingdom is through Christ, through belief, through faith. Many then and now struggle with things that hinders and or besets them from surrendering to Him. Those that enter in have determined that they would follow Christ, or they desire to. In essence there are some whom the Spirit will draw in and there are others who will not receive the Spirit nor His offerings.

Note: This verse is speaking of the response to John's preaching as a great uprising (Scripture tells us that multitudes came forth from various regions to hear what John had to say, Matthew 3:5; Luke 3:7). After which Jesus conveyed likewise (repent and the kingdom was near) until now, as Jesus affirmed John's message there was a surge towards the kingdom of God by the people rushing with eagerness to get in it with a forceful zeal. This explains the use of the term violence and fits the overall context here.

Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

The nature of the Kingdom is the nature of God, love,

[csreeves]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[charisbarak]

That is the boldness & confidence to seek His kingdom!!

Without that, you cannot lay hold of the kingdom--mainly because you do not desire it enough..

[Delivered]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

There was great violence in the world as the demons and their human followers were trying to put a stop to God’s plan of salvation, through His Son. There still is a violent force, a battle going on, trying to prevent mankind from entering God’s Kingdom, his rule for their lives.

However, we who have ears to hear what John was preaching understand, for us to enter the Kingdom, we must “repent" - we must absolutely be determined to give up our sinful ways!! knowing that when we do, the door will be opened, the nature of God’s Kingdom is that of “righteousness” there we will find that God’s yoke is not burdensome; it is wholesome, based on God’s love.

[Leonard C]

Christ never condoned violence but He spoke of the need to stand upright in the face of persecution as He did and his apostles after Him. "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12) Jesus warns His followers that they must be steadfast in heart, pressing into the Kingdom with ardor resembling violence or desperation. He expresses the earnestness his followers must have in ridding themselves of sin, standing firm against satanic powers, the world and even relatives if necessary.

[masika]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

There are three common views about the meaning of this verse:

(1) Jesus may have been referring to a vast movement toward God, the momentum that began with John

[Eudora]

The Hebrew word for 'seize it' would be oh-hah-zeem and means, 'to seize...to take, catch, in hunting, to take or have possession'. The verb also means, 'to take possession (of the land)' (i.e. Israel, Josh. 22:9), and it also speaks of an 'eternal possession' (Gen. 17:8; 48:4; Lev. 25:34). This parallels the possessing of the Kingdom of the Heavens in terms of inheritance instead of 'seizing it.' With these three words we can translate Matt. 11:12 like this:

'And from the days of Yohanan the Immerser until now, the Kingdom of the Heavens is being breached and the breachers are possessing it.'

Yahushua was alluding to the prophetic passage in Micah about the Messiah being the Shepherd that would breach or tear open a section of the fence or wall of the Sheepfold (the earthly existence), for the Remnant of Israel. The Sheep (believers; breachers), would then continue to break down and break through the fence of the sheep-pen into greener pastures (the Heavenly Kingdom), as they followed their Shepherd.

In Micah 2:12-13 we read:

'I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob. I will surely gather the Remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold' (Bozrah); 'like a flock in the midst of its pasture. They shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.'

The Breaker (Poretz from the same verb 'to tear down,' to breach), goes up before them. They break out, pass through the gate and go out by it. So their King goes on before them and Yahwey is at their head.'

This is what Yahushua was pointing to that day in Matt. 11:12. The Kingdom of the Heavens was presenting Itself, first with John's proclamation and then with Yahushua Himself. Not to disparage the Law and the Prophets (Luke 16:17), but on the contrary, to hold up what they spoke of as future, was now unfolding as a present reality. Yahushua was declaring that He was the Shepherd (the Breaker; the Breacher), who would break down the Fence so that His Sheep (the breakers) could follow Him into their inheritance, the Heavenly realm.

A more literal translation of Micah 2:13 reads,

'And the One breaking open will go up before them and they will break open and they will go through the Gate and they will go out through Him and their King will pass through before them, (with) Yahveh at their head.'

It's not that the Kingdom is suffering violence but that the Shepherd is tearing open, making a hole in the Heavenly Fence that separates Man from God. He does this with His Death and Resurrection. The ones that are His, follow Him. They hear His Voice calling to them and escape from the Fold by running through the opening in the Fence that He made for them. It becomes widened much the same way that cattle, stampeding through a break in a fence, will trample it down and tear out more and more of it as they go through it.

Such is the 'violence' that Yahushua was presenting that day. Unfortunately, when Matthew was translated into Greek 'there was something lost in the translation.' The translators tell us that the Kingdom of Heaven 'suffers violence'. As we have seen, the idea of force is inherent in the Hebrew word. But the Greek lacks the Hebraic Scriptural link to Micah that begins to explain what Yeshua said that day and what He meant. Micah then opens up a Scriptural chain for us that will reveal both the Salvation of Yahwey and the Resurrection of Yahushua.

[Eudora]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

I believe that He is teaching us to act in a manner as someone who is going to be very very aggressive, bold and assured in their manner to take hold and make every effort one can to claim what is their rightful inheritance and right of passage.

A “right of passage” would be the right to travel through a certain territory, and it is the entrance to the Kingdom that we are seeking. It is imperative that we press through with every piece of spiritual armor that we are given and take possesion of what is ours to be. No-one else can do this for us. No preacher can tell us how to do this. No minister can even give a sermon on what needs to be done. It is purely by the power of the Holy Spirit who is the active force who leads us, teaches us and trains us in the renewing of our mind to grab hold of what is meant to be ours for the asking.

We are first separated from the norm by being chosen by Yahwey, those whom He will call; withdrawing from our first born current status and prepare to move from one place or status to another. Then there is the transition of time spent in preparation to move into the Kingdom of Yahwey and next comes the entrance itself, the day when we meet Yahushua and He says, “welcome”.

It is what I refer to as the three stages of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. First stage is being a human, chosen by God. Second stage is receiving His Son Yahushua as our Kinsmen Redeemer and the ‘cutting away’ from the former self in this phase becoming more and more the mirror image of the One whom we follow. Yet the second and third stage go hand in hand. The third stage is being empowered by the Holy Spirit, yielding our will to the power of His Spirit that is come to live in and take up residence in us. It is not now we who live, but Christ who lives with-in us, the consummation and restoration of our being one with the spirit.

Yahushua made His move toward us when He died and gave His life for us and He made the second move toward us, in that He sent His Spirit to guide and teach and train us in the way which we should live. It is now our turn to make the advancement toward Him by seeking His kingdom and His righteousness and making every effort to press in and break through to the kingdom of heaven which is at hand, yielding and giving way to His Spirit to lead us into the life everlasting. We must take it by storm if we have too.. We should have an 'inner resolve' or 'determination' that can not be stopped by any demonic powers, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. These are the forces to which we battle and nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

I believe it is taking hold of the powers that we are told that we have in Him and trusting that His word will do what He has sent it out to do.

[Guest Windy]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[Eudora]

There is a huge connection between Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Micah 2:12 & 13 ¶ I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.

and Psalm 24:7-10

'Lift up your heads, Oh Gates and be lifted up, Oh ancient Doors that the King of Glory may come in! Who is the King of Glory? Yahweh strong and mighty. Yahwey mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, Oh Gates and lift them up, Oh ancient Doors that the King of Glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? Yahwey, King of the Heavenly Armies; He is the King of Glory. Selah.'

Some say that the gates and doors were those of the Temple. There are two things wrong with this assessment. One, it speaks of ancient Doors. At the time of the writing of Psalm 24, if the Temple was in existence, the doors could hardly be called ancient. Which leads us into the next problem; that of assuming that the gates and doors of the Temple were in existence when the Psalm was written. If King David wrote this, and it's most likely he did as the beginning of the Psalm records, the Temple hadn't been built yet. Therefore, it would be impossible for the ancient doors and gates of the Psalm to be referring to a Temple that didn't exist. (The Temple wouldn't be built until after David's death. His son, King Solomon would build it.)

The ancient Gates or Doors in this Psalm were what separated God from Man; the firmament of the Heavens. David is speaking about the Ancient Doors opening for Messiah upon His Resurrection and return to the Heavens. On the other side of this firmament is the Heavenly Temple where first we see the Altar for Sacrifice of the Lamb of God. All who desire to pass through the breach that the Breaker makes, must first apply the Blood of the Sacrifice of the Lamb while they are upon the Earth.

[PATCH]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[Foofee's Nana]

Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[hanks]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16)

Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret.

However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

I think Jesus is warning us about complacency. I read once,

[jr4624]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the “forceful” or “violent” people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

I believe that He is telling us that we need to strive to be "no-compromise"-type people. We need to see sin for what it is and do our best to deal with it, to keep it out of our lives, even by the most extreme means we can imagine (such as pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin). We not only need to do that in our own lives, but we need to help others see the truth as well. As usual, Jesus is calling for extreme actions here that are radically different from the conventional wisdom. He is telling us that entrance to His Kingdom is worth everything we have to give and more. He is telling us not only to be ready, willing and able to give all we have and more, but that we need to actually be doing it.

[s8nfighter]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the forceful or violent people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

To me this passage is what keeps me going in times of doubt. This passage when coupled with (I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.) (NIV) I think about John the Baptist and how he kept going. Never promising great wealth if you send in money, never promising a miracle healing for a donation, never accepting the perks of the world for his calling; he just kept on going. He didn't have a radio, television, or the inter-net; just a lone voice in the middle of the dessert proclaiming the the Christ. In times of criticism and threats he just kept on going.

John the Baptist never looked back thinking of the things which might have been only of the things to come. Economists talk about planning for the future (forward thinking); talk about a man ahead of his times. John the Baptist was the ultimate forward thinking person. Talk about planning for your future; there is no better future than the Kingdom of Heaven.

Forceful is not weapons of destruction, it is believing the word of God, and living a life that draws the curiosity of others to such an extent that they want what you have.

[beliver]

I believe Jesus is saying that when we receive Christ as Savior, we will battle the flesh, devil and the spirit daily. We need to daily and moment by moment yield to the Spirit. The devil will attack and try to tear us down, but greater is He that is in us then he that is in the world. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you. Seek the kingdom like we are searching for something that is of great value. Love the LOrd with all our heart, soul, and body, give all that we have to the glory of the Lord. We press toward the mark for high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Fight the good fight never give into the devil and the flesh. Yield to the Spirit and ye shall not full fill the **** of the flesh. When we realize all that we have in Jesus and all He has done for us, can we not serve Him with all that we have. It is a daily struggle if we are enter the kingdom and hear the Savior say well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter my kingdom. To whom we yield to will determine our rewards, whether they are wood, hay, stubble or brick. May I be found faithful, just as Paul said for me to live is Christ to die is gain. I feel sorry for those who never fully surrender to the Lord, because they can never have peace and contentment in their life, only a life that is fully surrendered to the LOrd will they be contended in whatever state they are in.

[sisterkay]

In Philippians we are told to - "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Salvation comes as a gift but we have to repent (turn the other direction) of our sins. We often have to force ourselves to give up a lot of bad habits and even accept the fact that we will often lose friends and family as we press ourselves onward toward the Kingdom. Giving our all for eternal life in God's Kingdom can be very difficult. He demands we give our all.

[OleManOz]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?[/font]

I felt better about this question after looking up Strong's number G971 (the Strong's reference used in this verse for the word "violence" which refers you to G970)

From G970; to force, that is,

(1)(reflexively) to crowd oneself (into),

or (2)(passively) to be seized: - press, suffer violence.

I feel comfortable applying definition 1 (reflexive), to crowd oneself (into) because the word "violent" seems a bad fit when speaking of Christian activities. Whereas "to crowd oneself into" is more gentle but still aggressive in the sense that you want to fit in with the mass of folks that want to take John's road to eternal peace and are willing to be pushed and shoved a bit in the crowd to accomplish the feat.

Definition 2 (Passive) explains the violence as being something done to you (i.e.-pushing and shoving) which is more acceptable than actually being violent in order to gain entrance to heaven. E.g. "I'm getting to heaven if I have to kill someone" just won't work.

[javier]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[alexandria]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[JanMary]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom?

He is teaching us to persevere. That it's worth having so it's worth "fighting" for. The Kingdom is ours, we move around in it, but it's like when the Marines land on an island. They radio to the ship that the island is secure...though they are surrounded by enemy weapons, and in actuality, they have no more than a toe hold on the island. When we are born again, we have a toe hold on the Kingdom. The rest of the ground is taken through persistence in prayer, learning to battle the enemy in warfare, using His weapons rather than our own, until we fully come into our place of authority in His Kingdom and move in our place of service.

[jmlhopeful]

Jesus is teaching us that as the Kingdom advances, so do the attacks against it.

John the Baptist's ministry was the dividing line between the Old and New Testaments(John 1: 15-18) With the arrival of Jesus came the realization of all the prophets' hopes. Jesus emphasized that his kingdom fulfilled the law (the Old Testament); it did not cancel it (Matthews 5:17). His was not a new system but the culmination of the old. The same God who worked through Moses was working through Jesus.

[Seeking His Face]

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

[Trusting God]

When people