Moment in the Word

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.

Although most people do not realize, the appearance of John the Baptist was a turning point in time.  

According to the prophecy of Malachi 4:1, God's fiery judgment is coming, "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."  

However, before that final destruction, God made a way of escape by sending the prophet Elijah back to prepare humanity for Christ's first arrival, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 - And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6)  

By Jesus' testimony, John the Baptist was Elijah who returned to prepare the way of salvation, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 - And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, who was to come. 15 - He that has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:13-15)

Christ's concluding statement is unique, "If you have ears capable of hearing, then you really need to listen!"

But why?

Understanding that Malachi's prophecy of Elijah's return was finished by John the Baptist's ministry of repentance and baptism, then nothing now remains to forestall God's final wrath! JUDGMENT IS ON THE WAY!

Knowing this, we return to our opening text, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12) So, what did Jesus teach about believers' violent effect on the Kingdom of God?

Well, the Greek word is "biazo," which means to "apply force" as an army might "storm" a fortification. We have a better clarification in Luke 16:16, when Jesus restated the idea, "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." But today are we actually pressing or forcing our way into God's Kingdom?

In Europe, only 3% of Danes attend church regularly, 5% of Swedes, 5% of Fins, less than 10% of the French and Germans.  In Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, and the United Kingdom, only 10-15% of professing Christians bother to attend Church on a regular basis. So, you be the judge. Does that sound like Christians applying force, storming, or pressing their way in to God's Kingdom? Hardly!  

What about America?  Most churches in the United States now only have services on Sunday morning, and among these, many are permanently locking their doors, each and every week. No, "going out of business for God" is definitely NOT what Jesus had in mind when He admonished His followers to "press in."  Rather, the modern secular mentality of the apostate church is best expressed, "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." (Luke 12:19)

To which God responds, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 - So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not RICH TOWARD GOD!" (Luke 12:20-21)

As materialism eats away at our spiritual devotion like a cancer, we are no longer "rich toward God." We have fallen prey to the very snare Jesus forewarned his Church about, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Matthew 24:12)  

And here we are on the jagged edge of time, precariously perched on the precipice of final judgment, ignoring God's declaration, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17)

Rather than shutting down, the Church of Jesus Christ needs to be firing up, "This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone, and the day of salvation will soon be here!" (Romans 13:11-12 NLT)