Kingdom of Heaven

[Surrender]

Mat. 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.

What specifically is the kingdom of heaven here?

Why didn't the kingdom of heaven suffer violence before the days of John the Baptist?

How is it possible for violent men to take the kingdom of heaven by force?

[Sing4Him]

From the time he began his preaching ministry, John the Baptist evoked a strong reaction. Having been imprisoned already, John ultimately fell victim to Herod's savagery. But the kingdom can never be subdued or opposed by human violence. Notice that where Matthew says, "The violent take it by force", Luke has "everyone forcing his way into it" (Lk 16:16) So, the sense of this verse may be rendered this way, "The kingdom presses ahead relentlessly, and only the relentless press their way into it" Thus again Christ is magnifying the difficulty of entering the kingdom.
~John MacArthur Study Bible

[Surrender]

From the time he began his preaching ministry, John the Baptist evoked a strong reaction. Having been imprisoned already, John ultimately fell victim to Herod's savagery. But the kingdom can never be subdued or opposed by human violence. Notice that where Matthew says, "The violent take it by force", Luke has "everyone forcing his way into it" (Lk 16:16) So, the sense of this verse may be rendered this way, "The kingdom presses ahead relentlessly, and only the relentless press their way into it" Thus again Christ is magnifying the difficulty of entering the kingdom.
~John MacArthur Study BibleThanks for your input!