? about Matt 11:12

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Sister Lara writes:
Who does "violent" represent?  I've been reading the verse and the total
chapter and it seems that I'm not really getting the understanding I should
get
about this verse.

My Response:
Please allow me to begin by quoting the entire verse under consideration -
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

If my understanding of our Lord's words are correct (and I pray that it
is), then I believe it important to note that Jesus was speaking of a
prevailing condition within the "kingdom of heaven," namely, the "violence"
(which is to say, unrest and/or disorder) which God has patiently
"suffered" (allowed) since the rebellious uprising led by Lucifer.  Please
note also that this "violence" is not something which is an integral part
of God's kingdom, rather those who participate in it do so "by force"
(i.e., by choice).  The question we should seek to answer here, at least as
I see it, is that of determining the identity of those who participate in
this "violence," as well as why God would allow such a condition to exist
within His kingdom.  I believe we can find the information needed to
properly answer these factors within the following passage written by the
apostle Peter -

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
 but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9) 

God has continiously displayed His patience toward all mankind by
contending with Satan's presence within His kingdom.  Satan, because of his
opportunist nature and the fact that he is well aware of God's
"longsuffering" as He awaits the passage of that alloted time wherein
sinful men might avail themselves to the marvellous plan for their
redemption which He devised and effectuated through the death, burial, and
resurrection of His own fleshly body, has exploited God's patience by
forcibly exercising his presence within God's kingdom.  We find further
evidence to support the continued presence of Satan within the "kingdom of
heaven," in the following revelation given to the apostle John -

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,  Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:  for the
accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our Lord
day and night.  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony;  and they loved not their lives unto the death." 
(Revelation 12:10-11)

There are many today who assert/suggest that Satan has already been cast
down to the earth from heaven (with this event transpiring perhaps even
preceding the creation and placement of Adam in the Garden of Eden).  I,
for one, do not adhere to this belief, for in the words of Job 1:6 we find
that "...there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan came also among them."  While the age in which
the experiences of Job perhaps cannot be positively ascertained, we do know
that this was AFTER Adam had been cast from the Garden, therefore, I
believe that it is altogether proper to conclude that because of God's
"longsuffering to us-ward," Satan continues to "forcibly" enter the
"kingdom of heaven" at his own will, and that he continues to do so even to
the present moment.  John's words of Revelation 12:10 appear to confirm
this fact, for they clearly state that Satan, who is the "accuser of our
brethren," will continue to exercise his "violent" nature within the
"kingdom of heaven," until the arrival of that future moment when "the
dragon and his angels" are "cast out."  (see Revelation 12:7-9)

The "violence" which God has elected to contend with since Satan's
rebellion within His kingdom, is an excellent example of His loving
kindness and patience with sinful man.  However, just as everything within
God's great plan for man is also controlled by "time," then we know that
there are limits to His "longsuffering to us-ward."  At some point within
the near future (and this perhaps even sooner than we might contemplate),
there will arrive a moment when God's patience toward sinful man will come
to an end, after which the "violence" within His kingdom that is
represented by the presenceSatan and his wicked band of angels, will no
longer be tolerated.  At that moment Satan will be "cast out into the
earth," where there he will persecute those whom he had previously
"accused... before our God day and night."

In full recognition that there will be some, yea, perhaps many, who will
not concur with the things I have written concerning this important matter,
I can only pray that all who might occasion to read them will give them
prayerful thought and consideration before outright rejection.  As always,
if any of my brethren has been given a better understanding of these
matters, I would welcome and enjoy the opportunity to hear of them.

In His Service,
Bro Don Evans