{"id":820,"date":"2011-11-21T07:58:37","date_gmt":"2011-11-21T11:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/?p=820"},"modified":"2011-11-21T07:58:37","modified_gmt":"2011-11-21T11:58:37","slug":"what-is-meant-by-this-phrase-the-violent-taking-it-by-force","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/?page_id=820","title":{"rendered":"What is meant by this phrase, ‘the violent taking it by force’?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew 11:12 refers to the kingdom of heaven suffering violence and the violent taking it by force. What exactly does this verse mean?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The best way to understand this verse is to refer to Luke 16:16.\u00a0 Both verses are talking about the same thing.\u00a0 The law and the prophets administered or taught the gospel before John the Baptist.\u00a0 After the era of the law and prophets, John the Baptist began to preach the gospel; Luke 16:16, \u201cthe law and the prophets were<\/em> until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached\u2026..\u201d\u00a0 Mt. 11:12, continues from the point that Luke 16:16 ended.\u00a0 This is when John the Baptist began to preach the gospel.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One phrase we have to address is: the kingdom of heaven.<\/strong>\u00a0 The meaning of a kingdom is a country (group of people) with common values and has a king as their head.\u00a0 In this case the country (kingdom) is Israel or the Jews and the king is God, because God is king of heaven.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The phrase suffereth violence<\/em>, in the Greek, means to crowd oneself.<\/em>\u00a0 Scripture confirms that the people gathered or crowded themselves around John the Baptist; Mt. 3:1-5, \u201cIn those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea\u2026.. saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand\u2026.. then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan\u2026..and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When scripture records the violent<\/strong> take it by force; it means, the crowd<\/strong> take it by force.\u00a0 There is something else we have to consider.\u00a0 The Greek word used for take<\/strong> and force<\/strong> is the exact same word.\u00a0 That word is Strong\u2019s #726, and it means to seize or catch<\/em>.\u00a0 It is a derivative of Strong\u2019s #138, and it means to take for oneself, to prefer, or to choose<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s read the verse again substituting the meanings of these words.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mt\u00a011:12<\/span><\/p>\n

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven<\/strong> (Jewish people) suffereth violence <\/em><\/strong>(crowded around, gathered), and the violent <\/strong>(crowd) take<\/strong> (seize, accept) it <\/strong>(gospel preached by John) by force<\/strong> (preference or choice).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John the Baptist was teaching a different message from the message originally taught by the law (Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees) and the prophets.\u00a0 The people readily accepted this message; so they gathered around John to hear more of his message, and they chose to repent, and to be baptized.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matthew 11:12 refers to the kingdom of heaven suffering violence and the violent taking it by force. What exactly does this verse mean? \u00a0 Answer:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The best way to understand this verse is to refer to Luke 16:16.\u00a0 Both verses are talking about the same thing.\u00a0 The law and the prophets administered or taught […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-820","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=820"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":822,"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/820\/revisions\/822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epistleofchrist.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}