THE KINGDOM OF GOD SUFFERS VIOLENCE AND THE VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE. Dr Paul Taylor

THE KINGDOM OF GOD SUFFERS VIOLENCE AND THE VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE. Dr Paul Taylor

I have been meditating on this scripture for a long time.  

“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the Kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”  Luke 16:16

The word “pressing” in the Greek is “biazetai”.  It means “force or pressing oneself into or to seize.”  It is the same word used in Matthew 11:12.  “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”  The word “violence or violent” is the same word, “biazetai”.  

Why does it take force to enter the Kingdom of God?  What is the resistance to entering the Kingdom of God?  

Please, let me encourage you to read this Scripture before we continue: 

“Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God.” Acts‬ ‭14:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I have often made the comment that their will be many who will be saved, but will never walk in the Kingdom of God here on Earth.  

I truly believe there is a great difference. There is no doubt that salvation is needed to enter the Kingdom of God. Salvation is freely given and freely received by those who have faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. Jesus is the Door, there is no other way to salvation and a relationship with our heavenly Father.  However, I have no doubt that Jesus never intended the salvation message to be the end, but the beginning to a life relationship with God and His Kingdom or realm on the Earth!  

The great difference that I see between the message of salvation and the message of the Kingdom of God is that the first may prepare you for heaven but the second prepares you for a life long adventure here on Earth with God, and to live eternally in His Kingdom. The message of salvation is about heaven, but the message of the Kingdom is about the Kingdom. 

It should be noted that the message of the Kingdom reconciles you with your Heavenly Father and allows you to walk in the realm of heaven on Earth for a life long adventure with God!  However it is a journey, not a destination! It is not the end, but just the beginning.

This relationship with God is amazing, but comes with a price!  Not a price that you can purchase, because you do not earn it!  The price is effort, pressing, violence (spiritual), denying of oneself to enter in to the Kingdom realm. The apostle Paul said it comes through much tribulation or hardships.  The word in the Greek means, persecution, affliction, distress, tribulation. From the Greek word “thlibo”; pressure.

Again, my question is why?

I am sure there are many answers to this question.  When I read the context of scripture I see two enemies or powers that resist my walking in the Kingdom of God.  

Remember I don’t earn it and you don’t earn it.  It was purchased by the blood of Jesus and made available to everyone who is born again.  Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”  John 3:3. 

You cannot even see the Kingdom of God without being born again!  This scripture also verifies that there is more to our relationship with God and our purpose here on Earth than salvation.

The first resistance is that of the religious system, the law.  Read how the Pharisees despised Jesus for preaching the Kingdom of God.  Why?  The law allowed you to manipulate it.  You can keep the law and be far from the Kingdom of God!  Today it may not be the law by the Pharisees, but it is by the church through legalisms, rules and systems.

Jesus doesn’t want your sacrifice of works.  He wants your heart!  The law will allow you to justify yourself before men!  But that can’t happen in the realm of God.  You must press past the resistance of religion!

“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:14-15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As you can notice it is the same problem today. Some leaders are lovers of money and through the preaching of works they make money. As my beloved friend Josimar Salum says: “There is no way someone can make money by preaching the Grace of God.”

The second resistance is your mind, yourself.  My greatest enemy is not the devil.  He has been defeated at the Cross.  My greatest enemy is ME!  My mind!  

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” II Corinthians‬ ‭10:3-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I have to battle against my mind and what I know to be true in my flesh.  This is where repentance takes place. I have to change my thinking by God’s thoughts. This is where the battle of faith intensifies.  I know what I see with my eyes or know with my intellect, but the things of God are spiritually perceived!

 “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” I Corinthians‬ ‭2:6-16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This is an extremely important portion of scripture.  You cannot know God and His Kingdom realm with your natural mind.  You must press past the resistance of your human flesh to SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD!  

Walking in the Kingdom of God is a constant battle between flesh and spirit.  I wish I could say I win that battle every day, but it is my desire to walk in the Kingdom realm of God on Earth, as it is in heaven.  The answers to today’s problems are found in this realm of God!  It is not by an escape from this world fed by the rapture mentality. It is a solution to the problems that mankind faces here on Earth.  It is not super spiritual, but it is supernatural! We are all on this journey together.  

I pray you will join me as I press into the Kingdom of God.

#ASONE