The kingdom of heaven is taken by force. Oleg Zamuruev

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it. ( 11, 12.)

Law and Prophets before John; From now on, the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone enters into it with effort. ( 16, 16.)

My son! Everything good, everything honest, everything just is achieved through labor, effort and struggle. This good, this honest thing that you will do in the name of Christ and His Church - these are the seeds from which the Kingdom of God grows and is created: it is within us, according to the words of the One who called to Him all who labor and are burdened. Take it upon yourself my son This is a good and kind yoke, and bear it with difficulty and effort. “The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force” - remember this always and everywhere, wherever you are, whatever you do. It is taken by force, because we are sinful, evil, ungrateful and, although with all our anger we give good gifts to our children, most often and most of all we wallow in the abyss of sin, luxuriate in the warm, soft and sweet bed of sin. It’s hard for us to get up, and it’s too early, we think, and we lie around... Look, my son, where and how this Kingdom of God is taken by force, where everything honest, everything good, everything good is taken by force...

It's morning. 5-6 hours. A bell sounded in the parish church, calling Christians to prayer. And you’re lying in bed, you hear the gospel as if in a dream, but you think: “I’ll lie down for a while! It’s still early. By the time the priest comes, while the clock reads, I’ll have time to get up, and get dressed, and come to church. And what’s the trouble? , if I come, well, to the Gospel or Cherubim, both the one who came at 12 o’clock and the one who came at 9 o’clock receive the same price, according to Christ...” All this quickly flashed through your head, too. would be through a dream. Remember here, my son, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force. Force yourself, get out of bed quickly, soon...

So you came to church. God, how crowded, how they crowd, push each other, and they step on your foot, it’s annoying, the heat in the church, stuffiness, and sometimes an unpleasant smell from tar, leather or something else. “What kind of prayer is this?” - you think. Remember here, my son, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force. It is difficult for you to pray in the Church of God, prayer does not come to mind: in that church it is too formal, everyone looks at you as soon as you move, and in this church it is dirty and uncomfortable; they read - you can’t understand anything, they sing badly, so badly that it would be better if they read instead of sang. Remember here, my son, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force.

You went to church, ruined your new dress, caught a cold on top of it, and didn’t pray well to God. Remember, my son, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force...

Here you are sitting at home, in the circle of your relatives, maybe drinking tea or sitting and talking with guests, and one of your relatives or acquaintances will tell you something unpleasant, expose you or remind you of something difficult from your life, and you will flare up. your soul is angry, and a daring word, a word sharp and poisonous, like an arrow, is ready to fall from your lips. Remember, my son, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force, that everything is good, everything is honest, everything is merciful, everything true by force is taken.

One of your close relatives lives with you and eats from your table. If you notice anything in them that is inconvenient or unpleasant for you, if you don’t like anything about them - remember, my son, those labors and illnesses that they undertook and with which they sometimes suffered for your sake, remember them position, their years, their weaknesses, force yourself, command yourself to love them. Remember, my son, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force...

You didn't get along with your friend. Both are to blame, each in their own way. And the time has come for you to turn to him. Don't waste this time, my son. Don't be proud and quick to judge people. Conquer your hot heart, curb it. Remember that the Kingdom of God is taken by force...

You're busy with your own business. It's urgent. We need to finish this evening, but there is still a lot of work. And then, in the midst of your work, in a strong surge of your energy, in an interesting and precious moment of the flight of your thoughts, your feelings, one of your close relatives, or acquaintances, or comrades turns to you for a solution to some perplexity, to your view of something insignificant, or for help, for which, apparently, it was not worth bothering you.

My son, do not set your heart on fire, do not lift up your eyes in anger. Do not be like a lion in your house, in the organization of your affairs. Remember that the Kingdom of God is taken by force.

You are back at your job and working honestly, conscientiously, you do as your heart, right, and pure mind tells you. But you see that no one wants to notice your work, that no one gives you approval, support, encouragement. Moreover, someone standing above you comes up to you and reprimands you, corrects you where, it would seem to you, no correction is needed... Your soul hurts. But remember, my son, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force, that everything good, everything honest, comes with obstacles, temptations, adversity...

Perhaps, my son, you will teach others the truths of faith and science. You will speak, but they will not listen to you, but they will tell you something different from what you said. Your students will study poorly: mistakes, sometimes gross, will often be found in their answers to you. Do not be sad about this, my son: work and instruct continuously, repeating your teaching several times. Do not raise your heart to anger, and with love and a spirit of meekness, enlighten and admonish your disciples who do not listen to you. Remember that any truth is given to a person with great difficulty, that mistakes are always possible, and especially at a young age; remember here that the Kingdom of God is taken by force...

The snares of the evil one are placed everywhere.

Here you are walking along the main street of the city. There is a lot of excitement, there are a lot of people. Here is life, here is the struggle... Hurry here, here, warrior of Christ, into this hot oven, where Christian blood is shed, where the spirit of malice, the spirit of lies, deceit, the spirit of envy and despair, struck by the arrows, fall. Here is your post, soldier of Christ. Stand strong, my son, and go with the banner of Christ against evil spirits. Look around, what a strong enemy! What is everyone calling for?! These shiny shop windows, these shameless paintings, these smart carriages, etc., etc. What does all this call for, if not to live above our means, above our position, to what our feelings incline, if not to so that they can lie in the warm bed of sweet sin? Do you see how the arrows of the evil one are kindled? Remember here, remember always and everywhere, that the Kingdom of God is taken by force, that great work and great efforts are needed to preserve the breath of God in yourself: to have everything good, everything honest, everything true.

The Kingdom of Heaven is the dream of all God's children! Who among us does not strive for perfection and does not make every effort to achieve it? It is like a lofty, almost unattainable dream that constantly excites our souls and draws our gaze to Heaven!
John the Baptist first began to preach about the Kingdom of Heaven, saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2), then he warned those being baptized, saying: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matt. 3:11). He said that One who is greater than him is coming after him! He, the Son of God who came down from Heaven, will bring this Kingdom from heaven to earth in power and glory!
Stop and think that the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven is a Heavenly Gospel, it was not born on earth! It came from Heaven, that's why it's so attractive! This is Heavenly authority, heavenly power, glory and salvation that Jesus brought to earth! Through Jesus Christ, Heaven in all its power and glory invaded the earth to establish its authority on earth and bring all the powers of darkness to shame!
In fact, Jesus preached nothing else and taught His disciples nothing except about the Kingdom of Heaven, which He came to establish on earth! Written: “From that time Jesus began to preach and say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17).

The Kingdom of Heaven or God is directly mentioned in the Gospels more than 30 times in total, and about 50 more times it is mentioned in various parables and teachings of the Lord. The basic laws of the Kingdom are set out in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 5:3-10)
And therefore it is written: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and those who use force take it by force (Matt. 11:12)

Next, Jesus proclaims seven parables about the Kingdom of Heaven, which characterize this kingdom from all sides, and the first parable we're talking about about the sower who went out to sow his seed. This story is complemented by the parable of the tares: “He set another parable to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field” (Matt. 13:24) and others...
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.” (Matt. 13:31)
“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven.” (Matt. 13:33)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.” (Matt. 13:44)
"...a merchant looking for good pearls." (Matt. 13:45)
"...a net thrown into the sea." (Matt. 13:47)
The vast majority of all parables of the Lord Jesus Christ concern the Kingdom of Heaven. These are the parables of the ten virgins, the rich man and Lazarus, the house built on the rock, the talents, the unfaithful steward, the workers in the vineyard, the strait gate, the lost sheep, the sheep and the goats, and many, many others...

Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom is a powerful demonstration of the power and Glory of the King of Heaven here on earth, which in the time of Jesus Christ came with many powers, wonders, signs, casting out demons, raising the dead and healing the sick. Crushing the forces of darkness, the Lord established the power of the Kingdom on the territory of the earth, establishing its laws, its culture and its influence in all spheres of life.
His disciples, the Apostles, did the same! Jesus sent out twelve and then seventy to preach and gave them authority and power, saying: “As you go, preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; Freely have you received, freely give.” (Matt.10:7,8)
The preaching and establishment of the Gospel of the Kingdom in the power of the Holy Spirit with many signs, wonders and healings was successfully spread throughout the world by the Apostles of Christ, and then by their disciples and followers in the flesh until the fourth century, until the church became government agency, united with the world and lost her spiritual powers.

There is another reason. While the Church was governed by the Holy Spirit, it retained its unity and strength, since all the Apostles, prophets, Evangelists, shepherds and teachers heard the voice of the Holy Spirit and unquestioningly obeyed Him! The Council in Jerusalem, deciding the issue of circumcision of the pagans, writes to Antioch: “For it pleases the Holy Spirit and us not to lay on you any more burden than this necessary.” (Acts 15:28)
We see that at the head of the council, as at the head of the entire First Apostolic Church, the Holy Spirit stood and guided everything! His authority was not questioned! Everyone else, from teachers and shepherds to the Apostles, unquestioningly submitted to His will, and therefore the unity of teaching and the unity of the church was preserved! But later, when the influential elite of the church rejected the Apostleship, became friends with the world, and lost the ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, His power was rejected! And in the church, the enemy of human souls built a human hierarchy, with its own laws, traditions, rituals and rules, which gave birth to a dead religion that killed the living Body of Christ and is poisoning our souls to this day!

Later, from the time of the Reformation, when there was a revival of living faith, Protestant churches. Appeared many new confessions, teachings and movements that did not have unity and did not make due efforts to develop a single correct position at least on basic doctrinal issues, which led to further division of the body of Christ. Ambitiously claiming truth, and therefore power, these religious systems were at war with each other, often killing the last living shoots of the Reformation.

And the situation in the church today is no better, leaders local churches for the most part are guided not by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but own plans and ambitions! If three ministers gather, they often have four opinions and each insists on his own as the only correct one!
One brother told me once, when on church council disagreements arose and each minister defended his opinion: “I don’t think so, I don’t think so, I believe.” An elderly minister, walking in the fear of God, stood up and said to the young ministers: “I’m not interested in your opinion at all, I’m interested in what God told you?
Have you prayed? What did you come to the council with?
Go and pray, and come to the council not with your own opinion, but with the opinion of the Holy Spirit!
Agree, if the church is led by the Holy Spirit, then there cannot be many opinions in it! Written: “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have said to you.” (John 14:26).
He was sent by the Heavenly Father into the world so that He could teach us, guide us to the Truth and remind us of everything that the Lord spoke to His disciples, and therefore only the Holy Spirit can correctly and fruitfully lead the Church! Every human leadership sooner or later leads the church into false teaching!
In this connection, the modern church no longer has any idea about the power of the Holy Spirit, which was revealed in the chief apostolic times, although since the time of the Reformation, outbreaks of awakenings flared up here and there on the territory of many countries and continents, when the power of the Holy Spirit crushed the kingdom darkness, freeing many souls from the captivity of sin.

The main reason why the modern church has lost the power of the Holy Spirit in preaching the Gospel is friendship with the world, which, as the Word of God says, is enmity against God! (James 4:4). Having abandoned its first love for the Savior, the church has lost the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and is no longer able to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in power and glory with signs and wonders. Therefore, today an incomplete gospel is preached - the gospel of salvation, without the manifestation of heavenly powers, miracles and healings, which neither the Lord nor His disciples - the Apostles did!
Moreover, having lost spiritual power and the power to perform miracles and healing, some faiths have developed various doctrines to justify their powerless state, but this does not mean that the Kingdom of Heaven has lost its power. God is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Today, all the attention of the church from preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, which has come to earth in power and glory, has switched only to the salvation of souls, and therefore even if souls are saved, they are often not freed from sinful shackles and do not have the spiritual strength to carry the Gospel further! Agree, it is not difficult to cast out a demon and free a person from demonic dependence, but this does not mean at all that he will become free! In order for a person to acquire spiritual freedom and boldness in faith, it is necessary to change his entire way of thinking and life, but for this he must personally encounter the Gospel of the Kingdom in power and glory, otherwise he will not soon be freed from the influence of the system of this world, the powers of darkness, sin and bad habits. Therefore, we often notice that after the time of euphoria that comes to us during spiritual rebirth, joy disappears again, doubts come, and even in those areas where some spiritual victories were won, remission sets in again, old sins, dirty thoughts return, doubts and disappointments. Many children of God, having received spiritual rebirth, continue to live under the pressure of the forces of darkness: in weaknesses, illnesses, fears, and sometimes under a curse!

To achieve complete liberation within oneself, a person must recognize himself as neither a Baptist, nor a Pentecostal, nor a charismatic, or a member of any other controlling religious system. He must realize his high position as the son of God, called by the grace of the Heavenly Father to participate in the inheritance of the saints who delivered us from the power of darkness and brought His beloved Son into the kingdom.” (Col. 1:12,13).
Moreover, we have not only entered the Kingdom of the beloved Son, but have received the power to be children of God and are already seated in heaven in Jesus Christ! As written: "God, rich in mercy, according to His great love with whom he loved us, and when we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him, and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph.2:4-6)
In this connection, every child of God must recognize himself as an authorized representative, invested with power and authority, of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth - an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, His messenger, His messenger!
It is in order to take us out from under the influence of the prince of the power of the air, and to give us the power to influence the second heaven (heavenly places), that the Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus seated us in Heaven! If before repentance, when we were sons of disobedience and lived according to our carnal lusts, the enemy of human souls, the prince of the power of the air ruled us from the heavenly places, now in Christ we have the power from the third heaven to influence the heavenly places, to bind the strong and plunder his property!

The power to own and rule

Friends! The Lord, raising us from the world of sin to the heights of Heaven, calls us the Royal Priesthood, a holy people, people taken as His inheritance! He wants us to realize our new position in the spiritual world, our Heavenly citizenship, our rights to be called and to be the Sons of God, and already now, here on earth, lay down our rights to the dominion given to us by God from the creation of the world, and take away this power from the devil , and did not grovel before the forces of darkness, did not live in fear and doubt, illness and disease!

After all, it was precisely the dominion that the Lord God gave to man initially, at the creation of the world, that Adam lost as a result of the Fall! “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen.1:27,28). Moreover, God gave man ownership of not only the earth and everything on it.
I would draw your attention to the fact that the question is not even about dominion on earth, the question is about dominion in the entire Universe! Even at the birth of Jesus, the Angels proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14). It is not in Angels, nor in Cherubim, nor in Seraphim - God’s favor is in Men!
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God as a king, as the ruler of the whole earth! The book of Hebrews says: “For God did not subject the future universe of which we speak to angels; on the contrary, someone testified nowhere, saying: what does a man mean, that You remember him? or son of man, that You visit him? You did not humiliate him much before the Angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands" (Heb. 2:5-7)
Not to Angels, my dears! Not to angels! Yes, this is said prophetically about Christ, but it is also said about you and me, the Sons of God, who are ready to follow the path of their Teacher on this earth and, having achieved perfection, as His Bride, sit on the throne of Glory and rule with Him throughout the entire Universe! Written: “For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from One; therefore He is not ashamed to call them brothers.” (Heb. 2:11).
It was Man who God placed over the works of His hands! And this power and dominion that God gave to man was taken away from him by the devil! As a result of the Fall, man fell under the power of another system, the system of rule of the prince of darkness, the spirit that dominates the air, and became its slave, and therefore needs not only liberation from sin, but also the return of power to him!

Therefore, the Gospel of the Kingdom is not only a matter of saving a person, but it is mainly a matter of restoring him to his former rights, returning to him the dominion given by God from the beginning! That is why Jesus came to this earth with power to return it to man! Written: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa.9:6)
The baby was born in a simple girl Mary, but the Son of God has been given to us! In this miraculous Child, Christ Himself came to earth and dominion is upon His shoulders! The Lord brought dominion to the earth on His shoulders, brought power to return it to man. Without returning power and dominion to man, he continues to remain a powerless slave of the prince of this world.
Unfortunately, not realizing our high position as the Sons of God, we, friends, are in no hurry to lay claim to power and dominion over the entire earth, and especially in the Universe, which the devil, deprived of power and authority by the Lord on the cross of Calvary, successfully uses! Our ignorance of our authority allows the devil to keep us in the darkness of sin, fears and doubts! Written: “My people will be destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hos.4:6)

Beloved! We should always remember that the Lord Jesus, having won the victory on the cross of Calvary: “having taken away the strength of the principalities and powers, he powerfully put them to shame, having triumphed over them in himself” (Col. 2:15).
Jesus declared to the whole world: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” And He delegates this power to you and me, saying: “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:18-20)
Jesus bound the strong man forever and gave us power to plunder his possessions: “Behold, I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19).
Paul writes to the Ephesians: “...I give thanks [to God] continually for you, remembering you in my prayers, so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, He has given you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him, and has enlightened the eyes of your heart, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of His glorious inheritance for the saints, and how immeasurable is the greatness of His power in us, believers according to the working of His sovereign power, which He wrought in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens, above all Principality, and Authority, and Power, and Dominion, and every name, named not only in this age, but also in the future, and put all things under His feet, and made Him above all, the head of the Church.” (Eph.1:16-22)
Oh, how great is the richness of His glorious inheritance for the saints and the immeasurable greatness of His power in us, of which we, beloved, do not even suspect! I will not speak here of all the riches of His glorious inheritance for the saints, but I want to dwell on one. The Heavenly Father, having raised our Lord Jesus Christ, seated Him “at His right hand in heaven, above all Principality, and Authority, and Power, and Dominion, ... and He set Him above all, as the head of the Church”!
Dear ones, just think about these lines! The Heavenly Father has placed the Lord Jesus Christ above all Principality, Authority, Power and Dominion - the Head of the Church! From this we see that the Church is the highest authority in the entire vast Universe! And the Church is you and me, beloved! Each of us reborn by the Holy Spirit is the Church!
It is you and me – the highest power in the Universe! And above us is the Lord, God Almighty! I will no longer talk about the fact that we are members of His cosmic family and heirs of His grace!!!

So why are we, liberated, sanctified and raised by the Heavenly Father to an unattainable height, in such humiliation? IN constant fear, sins, illnesses, infirmities, many problems and poverty, doubts and curses?
Why don’t we want to rebel against the forces of darkness and free ourselves from the system of the prince of this world that oppresses us?, which still holds our loved ones, children and grandchildren in the power of sin?
Why are we afraid to pray for the liberation of a person burdened by the forces of darkness?
Why don't we put on “In the full armor of God, so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil, because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of wickedness in high places”? (Eph.6:11-12)
Why do we not dare to lay claim to the dominion God has given us?
What can we say about more when we ourselves are still not free, sick and weak!
God created man in His image and likeness free, and we, as Sons of God, have the right to dispose of our own mind, feelings and will. But how often does the devil rule our minds? How often does he tempt us to sin? Constantly loads us with thoughts that are vulgar, dirty, evil and crafty, lustful and fussy, negative and hypocritical... In our minds we are constantly gaining something, exalting ourselves over someone, humiliating someone, envying someone... But the main thing is that we have come to terms with this state of affairs and do not even try to resist the devil and forbid him to rule in our soul: mind, feelings and will!
What can I say, most of us don’t even know how to free ourselves from its pressure, and how to take every thought captive into obedience to Christ! (2 Cor. 10:5)
And in some churches they are simply afraid to talk about the devil. Oh, what would happen?

I understand that we former slaves It is not easy for the devil to rebel against his former master, who kept us in fear, poverty and disease!It’s not at all easy to rebuild and change your slave mentality to a royal one, but that's exactly what Jesus did!

For three years He formed in His disciples the way of thinking of the Kingdom of Heaven, constantly showing His disciples His power and glory! He constantly taught them new and new lessons, revealing the Glory of the Kingdom of Heaven! He walked on water, stopped the storm, commanded the waves to calm down, surprised them with a miraculous catch of fish, fed many people with five loaves of bread, was transformed into His heavenly Image, etc. He tried to destroy the stereotypes that had formed in their minds in order to form new thinking in them! Kingdom of Heaven Thinking! He wanted to saturate them with heaven, to show them all the miracles and powers of heaven, in order to revive in them a living faith with which they would go to conquer the world, establishing the Laws of the Kingdom of Heaven throughout the earth!
While walking with his disciples, Jesus not only preached, but actually demonstrated the power and glory of the Kingdom of Heaven: he healed the sick, cleansed lepers, cast out demons, raised the dead, and His disciples, the Apostles, did the same. Paul, instructing the church in Corinth, writes: “The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20) and both Paul himself and all the other Apostles demonstrated this power to heal society! “... handkerchiefs and aprons from his (Paul’s) body were placed on the sick, and their illnesses ceased, and evil spirits came out of them. (Acts 19:12). The Apostle Peter did the same: “So they carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and beds, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing would overshadow any of them.” (Acts 5:15).
The Lord commanded us, His disciples, to do the same! Unless, of course, we are His disciples, His followers, and not disciples of any religious teaching, each of which today claims to be the truth in the first person!

Precisely because the Christians of the first church received power from the Lord "to be Sons of God" and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven they successfully used this power. They boldly carried the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout the entire earth, crushing the forces of darkness, freeing souls from the captivity of sin and conquering new territories for the Kingdom of Heaven, and therefore in a short time they conquered a third of the entire world that existed then to the Gospel! And only a little later, when the church became state-owned, came under the influence of the world and retreated from the truth, it lost its spiritual gifts and powers!
Today we no longer preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven in all its fullness, power and glory, and even if we talk about miracles and healings, we do not have the power to show them to the world! Therefore, the children of God no longer know and do not claim their rights to the Kingdom and dominion, allowing the devil to keep not only the world, but also the church in fear! The devil managed to cut off the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom from the church, drive it out of the world, drive it into the walls of houses of prayer and limit its preaching only to the salvation of sinful souls, and even then a few!

God's vision is church on the street!

The Church, not as a religious organization or a controlling system operating within four walls, but as the body of Christ! As a living organism, constantly growing and developing, living and functioning in the world, among the common people in need of the Gospel of the Kingdom, in His saving power, gifts and healings! The world needs the gospel bringing life, light and truth, permeating society with the wonderful commandments of God, pure and holy. In the Gospel, bringing the Laws of the Kingdom of Heaven, His power and glory, His culture, His blessings, peace, joy and love.

The Church is needed as a light to the world! Like a city standing on top of a mountain! Like salt that salts a decaying society! Like leaven that leavens it!
The Church is needed as a balm on the wounds of a world suffering from wars, devastation, terrorism, disease and illness, poverty and lawlessness!
God never limited the church to the walls of temples! The devil did this by creating many religious systems that, competing with each other, argue for influence in the religious world, for leadership, for the right to truth and power over human souls. And while the church is divided and engaged in reproach against each other, the devil successfully works in the sons of disobedience, capturing more and more new positions both in the spiritual world and in the physical, corrupting both society and the people of God with new and new “exquisite sins.”
The devil is neither warm nor cold because the people of God, having lost their first love for the Lord, and with it the fire of the gospel, and the preaching of the Kingdom, and power, and strength, divided into many denominations and burdened with many worries, have closed themselves within four walls , praises the Lord behind closed doors

The devil is afraid of the power that we, as sons of God, have, but which we have never used to bind the strong and conquer the world for Christ! Jesus says: “...every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate; and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matt. 12:25). To which you and I are living witnesses. The Body of Christ - the church, having divided into many denominations, has lost its strength, and therefore the kingdom of darkness is succeeding and destroying both in the world and in the church the last strongholds of purity and holiness - our families, leading children and grandchildren into captivity to sin!

One Lord, one faith, one baptism!

Written: “Those who act wickedly against the covenant he will attract to himself with flattery; but the people who honor their God will be strengthened and act. And the wise among the people will admonish many, although they will suffer for a while from sword and fire, from captivity and robbery.” (Dan.11:32,33)
The Church, in the face of an insidious enemy, must unite again and take to the streets of cities and towns, come out of those walls where the devil has driven it! The Word of God says: “There is one body and one spirit, ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.” (Eph.4:5,6). And for this Lord “He appointed some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, into perfect men, to the measure full age Christ's." (Eph.4:11-13)
The Lord leads us here into unity of faith! He has one Church, one Bride, one Body, one faith and one baptism, and therefore any division in the body of Christ is unnatural and produced by the enemy of human souls in order to destroy the church and deprive the Sons of God of unity, strength, authority and stop the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom on earth!
For it is written: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14). The end will come to the devil and he knows it! Therefore, he is trying with all his might to divide the Church, destroy its foundations, and stop the preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven in order to extend his time on earth!

Today all creation groans and suffers, and “ looks forward with hope to the revelation of the sons of God, because the creation was subjected to vanity not voluntarily, but by the will of the one who conquered it (the prince of the power of the air), in the hope that the creation itself will be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Rom.8:19-21). All creation is waiting revelations of the sons of God , and not library knowledge that makes your head swell, not sentimental stories that bring tears to your eyes! She awaits the living revelations of God from the Sons of God who have denied themselves, crucified their flesh with its lusts and passions and took up their cross and rushed after the Lord!
Beloved, if our brains are often fuming with information, and our spiritual person is fed up beautiful stories, then our spiritual person often dies of hunger! Our spirit, reborn to eternal life, constantly languishes, awaiting the revelations of the sons of God, those who themselves are led by the Holy Spirit and therefore can lead the entire Church to spiritual depths!

Today, having stopped preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, closed itself within its walls and solved its local problems, the church has practically doomed the world to destruction, refusing to fulfill the tasks assigned to it, the spread of the Kingdom of God on earth. And the Lord's prayer “Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10) , for many local churches remained good wishes, but not a guide to action!
Brothers and sisters! The primary and main task of the church is not to survive at the cost of the betrayal of the world, not to sit inside four walls, but to go into the world and with the power given to us by the Lord to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, cast out demons, raise the dead, establishing the power of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth to save more and more souls for Christ! “...For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35).

How to really gain power and strength

Christ is at the door, and therefore the time has come for the Church of Christ to throw off the appearance of piety - the clothing of our religiosity, self-righteousness and hypocrisy, but to put on the power of God and return to preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom in power, glory, with many miracles, and healings! Why does every child of God need to return again to the sources of His love and seek the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind and with all his strength.

Everything we discussed above mainly concerns our spirit and is based on our living faith in the strength, power and might of our Savior, but this is only 50% of the victory! In order to have real strength to bind the strong and advance on the kingdom of darkness, plundering his property, we, beloved, need to learn to build our close relationship with the Lord, constantly abiding in Him and the Word of God.
Agree, in order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, it must first come to our spirit, soul and body!
If to heal our spirit and regain dominion over the whole earth we need to be established in faith and realize our new position as sons of God and boldly claim our rights to the Kingdom, then to heal our souls we also need to work a little!
Written: “...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom.12:2). And therefore, if we want to move further in salvation and gain not only freedom in thoughts, feelings and actions, but also to know that there is the will of God, good, acceptable and perfect, to become in to the fullest The sons of God, led by the Holy Spirit, must not only not conform to the system of this world, that is, not love the world and what is in the world, but must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. No matter how proud we are, our carnal mind is unable to hear the voice of God, because: “To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because to be carnally minded is enmity against God; for they do not obey the law of God, and indeed cannot.” (Rom.8:6,7).
Our carnal mind, it is as if tuned to another wave, to the wave of this world, it is saturated with its concerns, its values, its morals, and therefore cannot perceive spiritual information coming from the Holy Spirit. If all our worries are only about our business, about what we should eat and what we should drink, what to wear and how to drive to the house of prayer, then you and I are simply not ready to hear the voice of God and communicate with Him! We need to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, that is, to shift onto spiritual tracks, for which we need to leave the world and everything in the world. Written: “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world: whoever loves the world does not have the love of the Father.” (1 John 2:15).

TO Unfortunately, there is another problem with our minds! Our head is often filled with mercantile, fussy, deceitful and hypocritical thoughts, envious, proud, vain, evil, etc. If in our thoughts we constantly condemn someone, humiliate and exalt ourselves over someone, then we have not yet been transformed by the renewal of our minds and have not learned to captivate our thoughts into obedience to Christ! (2 Cor. 10:5).
If we are still besieged by vulgar, evil, depraved and sexual thoughts, then it is too early to say that we have the mind of Christ! In order to receive complete liberation of the soul and learn to know the will of God, holy, good and perfect, that is, to fully become sons of God, led by the Holy Spirit, we still need to work hard on ourselves.

First, we need to stay in the Word of God constantly! Abide does not mean reading three to four chapters a day, it’s much more! To abide is to spend all of one’s self in the Word. free time, so that the Word saturates us through and through, so that it shapes our inner world, so that it transforms our carnal mind and becomes “our word, family and friends,” so that we reflect on it, think with it, speak to it and pray to it.
Next, we need to learn to come into the presence of God and really build our relationship with Him! Building a relationship means spending time with Him! Lots and lots of time! If you dropped in to see Him for half an hour, then there is simply no talk of any kind of relationship.
And lastly, we should place our “I”, our old man, on the cross, where he should always be! As written: “...our old man was crucified with Him, so that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for the one who died was freed from sin. (Rom.6:6,7)
Only then will we be able to “put off your former way of life, the old man, which is corrupted by its deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, created according to God in righteousness and true holiness.” (Eph.4:22-24). Such a change of clothes can only be done on the cross and nowhere else!
It's a lot of work, but it's worth it, because just new person created according to God, in righteousness and holiness of truth, is the heir of all His promises, all gifts, powers and revelations! These treasures are inaccessible to the old man , and therefore, while he is alive and while he reigns in us, we can have neither gifts, nor powers, nor the anointing of God!

The situation is similar with our body! There is a lot of controversy in the Christian media these days about whether God heals today and whether it is possible to live in Divine healing?
Yes, friends, the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever! But you and I must be ready to accept our healing in order to constantly live in it!
The Lord saved the whole world, redeeming it with His blood! That is, He paid for the sins of all people who have ever lived, who are living and who will still live on earth! God's work is finished completely and completely! All people throughout the world are redeemed and saved! Everyone, everyone, everyone, without exception, is saved! But, however, only those who come to the Lord and claim their salvation actually receive salvation! Those who, having repented of their sins, called on the name of the Lord into their lives and today live in salvation!

Same with healing! Written: “He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our sicknesses; and we thought [that] He was smitten, punished and humiliated by God. But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace [was] upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed.” (Isa.53:4,5).
And in the New Testament, the Apostle Peter writes: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, having been delivered from sins, might live for righteousness; by His stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).
Yes, the word of God tells us that we are all already healed, the moment Jesus died on the cross our healing was completely completed! Our Savior Christ, having ascended the cross of Calvary, accomplished complete salvation, which includes not only the revival of the spirit and the salvation of the soul, but also the healing of the body, the healing of the family, the church and the healing of the entire society suffering from iniquities.
But in order for the healing of our body to really take place in our lives, we must accept it into our lives by faith, like that woman who suffered from bleeding for many years: “For she said, If I touch His garment, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:28). That is, healing requires living faith, and in order for faith to come to life, you need to have a constant and living relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Constantly spend quiet time in His presence in fasting, prayer, supplication, waiting for His answer and visit! As written: “With my soul I have longed for You in the night, and with my spirit I will seek You in my inner being from early in the morning.” (Isa.26:9).

And the second point, in order to receive Divine healing, our body, friends, must be on the altar! It must really belong to the Lord: “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [for] your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1). And you and I must do this! It is our part to present our bodies on the altar!
But if our flesh has not yet been crucified and still serves sin, is overwhelmed by lusts and passions, then this is not yet a body - it is sinful flesh, which is not suitable either for the altar or for service. Drag her to the cross, as it is written: “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.” (Gal.5:24).

Under such conditions, we will become the Sons of God led by the Holy Spirit! And then healing will come not only to our spirit, soul and body, but also to our family, church and through us to the society around us, and all the apostolic gifts, powers and revelations will not be slow to come into our lives!
Only there, behind the cross, in all its power and glory will the Kingdom of God and that invisible one be revealed to us. spiritual world will become much more real for us than this visible one in which we live!

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and those who use force take it by force.”

Matthew 11:12

John the Baptist, having heard rumors about Jesus Christ in prison, sends two of his disciples to Him with the question: "...Are you the one who must come, or should we expect something else?" (Matt. 11:3). It is not true that (as Tertullian believes) John the Baptist did not know that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, since he was confirmed in this opinion both by the Spirit of God and by a sign from heaven (see John 1:33). By this same act he tried to correct the ignorance of his disciples, who revered him more than Christ.

In the fourth and fifth verses of the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Christ’s answer to their question is recorded: “... Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:4). Jesus Christ shows them that He is the true Messiah by referring to His miracles, which were undoubted proof of His Divinity. After John's disciples have left, Jesus gives high praise to John the Baptist and explains who he was: "... What did you go to see in the desert? Is it a reed shaken by the wind?" (Matt. 11:7).

As Jesus Christ said, John the Baptist was not a fickle man whose opinions change and who wavers like a reed, moving from one opinion to another; he was not like Reuben, unstable as water (see Gen. 49:4), but he was unshakable and firm in his hope - even prison could not change him.

"What did you go to see? Was it a man dressed in soft clothes?" (Matt. 11:8) – asks Christ. John did not indulge his feelings - he did not wear silk, but clothes made from camel hair; he preferred to live not at the royal court, but in the desert (see Matt. 3:3,4).

Christ introduces John the Baptist as His forerunner, who prepared the way before Him (see Matt. 11:10). He was morning star, which preceded the Sun of Righteousness, and in order to sufficiently honor this holy man, Christ not only draws a parallel by comparing him with other prophets, but also places him above the rest of the prophets, calling him the greatest prophet, saying:

"What did you go to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and greater than a prophet" (Matthew 11:9).

“...Among those born of women there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).

John the Baptist was exalted by Christ because of the dignity of his ministry and the clarity of his teaching, and therefore our text begins with the verse: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and those who use force take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

* * *

Firstly, in these words there is a preface or introduction to the main idea: "...from the days of John the Baptist until now...". John the Baptist was a zealous preacher, Boanerges, or “son of thunder” (see Mark 3:17), since after his preaching people began to awaken from their sins.

Therefore, understand what kind of service should be that brings the most benefit, namely, that which affects the conscience of people. John the Baptist raised his voice like a trumpet. He preached with authority the doctrine of repentance: “...Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). He came, cutting and breaking human sins, and after that he preached Christ to them. First he poured out the vinegar of the law, and then the wine of the gospel. It was the kind of preaching that made people determined to reach for heaven.

John preached not to please his listeners, but to benefit them; he chose the purpose of his ministry to reveal to people their sins, and not to demonstrate to them his eloquence. The best mirror is not the one that is gilded, but the one that truly shows our face. The preferred sermon is that which most truthfully reveals to the people their sins and shows them their hearts.

John the Baptist was a burning and shining light; he truly burned in his faith and shone in his life; and therefore the people who heard him preach were moved to strive for heaven.

The Apostle Peter, who was filled with a spirit of zeal, also led his hearers on the day of Pentecost to a state of tenderness, revealing to them their sins and pointing them to the source of cleansing in the blood of Christ. “When they heard this, they were cut to the heart...” (Acts 2:37). It is the greatest grace to have a ministry that encourages people to search their own hearts. If a person has a terrible wound, then he will strive to explore it to its very depths. Who would not feel satisfaction if his soul were examined and, as a result, saved?

Secondly, this text also contains main idea: "...The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away."

What do the words mean? "Kingdom of Heaven?" Some interpret them as the Gospel teaching, which reveals Christ and heaven to man. Erasmus of Rotterdam also taught the same thing. But rather, by the Kingdom of Heaven I mean heavenly glory; this was taught by Beza and others.

This Kingdom is taken by force. This expression is a metaphor that compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a city or fortress that is defended during war and which can only be taken by storm. Therefore, without effort it is impossible to master the Kingdom of Heaven. "... And those who make effort delight him."

The meek will inherit the earth (see Matt. 5:5), but the vigorous will inherit heaven. Our life is a spiritual war. Christ is our Commander. The gospel is our banner, the mercies of God are our spiritual artillery, and heaven can only be taken by effort.

* * *

The words we are considering (that is, the words “strength” and “effort”) refer to two stages in a person’s achievement of the Kingdom of Heaven:

1. First stage - battle: "taken by force";

2. Second stage - conquest: "those who make effort delight him."

Thus, heaven can only be taken by attack or storm; therefore, no one can reach heaven except those who use force. This power has a double aspect.

Firstly, this kind of power is characteristic of people who are judicial officers. Judges must achieve results by force in the following cases.

1) When punishing the guilty. When Aaron's Urim and Thummim do not work, then Moses must come with his rod. The wicked are worthless people, whose unrighteous excess of wealth, thanks to the care of the judiciary officials, should be withdrawn. God appointed rulers to punish criminals (see 1 Peter 2:14).

Rulers should not resemble a swordfish, which has a sword on its head but no heart. But they must have a sword in their hand, being determined in heart to draw out and cut off man's wickedness. The connivance of the judge encourages immorality, and, by not punishing criminals, he acquiesces in the misdeeds of others and makes them his own. Judicial officers who are not diligent in their service are like a body without spirit. Excessive tolerance encourages sin and merely shaves the criminal's head, which deserves to be cut off.

2) When protecting the innocent. The judge is a refuge, or an altar, or a refuge for the persecuted to which they may flee. Charles, Duke of Calabria, was so fond of dispensing justice that he caused a bell to be hung at the gate of his palace, and whoever rang it was confident that he would be received by the Duke himself, or that the Duke's servants would be sent to hear his case.

Aristide was also known for his fairness. Historians say about him that he never showed partiality towards any person only on the grounds that that person was his friend; nor did he treat a person unjustly because that person was his enemy. The slowness or indecisiveness of a judge violates a person’s right to defense.

Secondly, this power is characteristic of people who are Christians. Although heaven is given to us freely, we must nevertheless fight for it. Scripture says: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your strength” (Eccl. 9:10). Our work is great, our time is short, our Master is in a hurry. Therefore, we must mobilize all the strength of our souls and fight, since this is a matter of our life and death, in order to achieve the kingdom of heaven. We must make not only diligence, but also effort.

* * *

In order to illustrate and clarify this statement, I must show you what kind of effort we are not talking about here.

Firstly, the effort spoken of in our text excludes reckless zeal, that is, it excludes the furious zeal exercised by men to achieve that which they do not understand. For example, this is what is written about the Athenians" ...passing and examining your shrines, I also found an altar on which it is written: “to an unknown god” (Acts 17:23). These Athenians were zealous in the worship of their shrines, but one could have said to them what Christ said to the Samaritan woman: “You do not know what you worship” (John 4:22).

Likewise, Catholics are vehement in their display of religiosity. Look at their penances, fasting, self-torture until blood appears. But this is zeal without knowledge of the truth; their ardor is better than their spiritual sight. When Aaron was to burn incense on the altar, he first had to light the lamps (see Ex. 30:7). When zeal, like incense, burns in the heart of a person, there it is first necessary to light the lamp of knowledge.

* * *

Secondly, the power that the Kingdom of Heaven admires excludes bloody violence, which has two aspects.

1) When a person forcibly lays hands on himself. Man's body is an earthly prison where God has placed his soul. We must not destroy this prison, but we must remain in it until God releases us from there through death. A guard cannot act without the permission of his superior; Likewise, we should not dare to act in this matter without God's permission.

Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor. 6:19). When we act violently towards him, we destroy God's temple. The lamp of life must burn in our body until all the natural moisture, which, like oil, nourishes it, has dried up.

2) This power excludes bloody violence, as a result of which one person takes the life of another.

There is too much of this kind of violence these days. No sin has a louder voice than the blood of a person being killed: ".. .The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the earth" (Gen. 4:10).

If there is a curse on that person, "who secretly torments[In the English King James Bible, the verb “smite” is used, which is translated into Russian with the words “strike”, “beat”, “torment”. In the Russian Synodal translation the word “kills” is used (ed.)] his neighbor" (Deut. 27:24), then the man who kills his neighbor is doubly cursed. If a person unintentionally killed another, then he can take refuge and run to the altar, but if he did it intentionally, then the sanctity of the place should not protect him, as it is written: “And if anyone intends to kill his neighbor by deceit, then take him from My altar to die” (Ex. 21:14).

Even though Joab grabbed the horns of the altar, King Solomon had to kill him, since this man had shed a lot human blood. Previously, in Bohemia, a murderer had to be beheaded and then placed in a coffin with the same person he killed. Based on the above, we see what use of force should be excluded.

The text we are considering (i.e., Matt. 11:12) speaks of holy effort. This phrase also has a double meaning.

First,we must be ardent and passionate warriors in the fight for truth. Here it is appropriate to quote Pilate’s question: “What is truth?” Truth is either the blessed Word of God, which is called the Word of truth, or those doctrines which flow from and agree with the Word of God, as a sundial with the sun, or as a copy with the original. These are doctrines such as the trinitarian doctrine; about creation; about grace given freely; about justification through the blood of Christ; about rebirth; about the resurrection of the dead and about the glorified life. As we fight for these truths, we must be steadfast, either as their defenders or as martyrs for the truth.

Truth is the most delightful treasure! The slightest iota of this gold is priceless. For what else should we strive ardently, if not for the sake of truth?

The truth is old; her gray hair evokes respect for her; it comes from Him who is the Ancient of Days (see Dan. 7:9). Truth is infallible; she is the star that leads to Christ. Truth is pure (see Ps. 119:140) - it is compared to silver purified seven times (see Ps. 11:7). There is not the slightest stain on the face of truth; it emits only a pleasant fragrance of holiness. Truth is victorious - it is like a great conqueror, all whose enemies lie dead; she guards the battlefield and sets up her trophies of victory. Truth can be resisted, but it can never be completely subverted.

During the time of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, it seemed that Christianity was in desperate straits and that truth had dried up. But soon after this, the golden age of Constantine came and then the truth again raised its head. When the water level in the Thames is at its lowest level, it means that the high tide is ready to arrive. God is on the side of truth and as long as a person has no fear, she will win in him. Scripture says about the end times: “Then the heavens will be destroyed on fire” (2 Peter 3:12), but the truth that came from heaven will never be destroyed (see 1 Peter 1:25).

Truth has an ennobling effect on a person. She is the seed of the new birth. God does not regenerate us through miracles and revelations, but through the word of truth (see James 1:18). Since truth produces grace, truth feeds man (see 1 Tim. 4:6). Truth sanctifies: “Sanctify them through Thy truth” (John 17:17). Truth is that seal which leaves upon us the imprint of its own holiness; it has the property of both reflecting and emitting God’s light; it is both a mirror showing our imperfections and a means of spiritual purification.

The truth sets us free (John 8:32). It frees us from the bonds of sin and elevates us to the position of heirs of God (see Romans 8:11) and kings (see Rev. 1:6). Truth is comforting; this is the wine that encourages a person. When David's harp and lyre could not comfort him, the truth did: "This is a consolation in my distress, that Your word revives me" (Ps. 119-50).

Truth is the antidote to sin. Sin is adultery of the human soul; it tarnishes a person’s soul in the same way that betrayal and betrayal tarnish a person’s name and honor. Sin brings a curse just like any other evil. A man can die from poison just as well as from a gun; and what then can prevent sin, if not the truth? People are deceived and sin so much because they either do not know or do not love the truth.

I can never speak strongly enough to properly express my reverence for the truth. Truth is the main guarantor, the basis for our faith; it gives us a true model of real faith in God; it shows us what we should believe. Take away the truth, and our faith turns out to be an illusion.

Truth is the best flower in the crown of the church. We have nothing more precious that we could entrust to God than our souls; and He has nothing more precious to entrust to us than His truth. Truth is the hallmark of true honor. It distinguishes us from the false church, just as chastity distinguishes a godly woman from a harlot.

In short, truth is the stronghold of church and nation. Scripture says that the Levites (who, while serving, were bearers of the symbol of truth) strengthened the kingdom of Judah (see 2 Chron. 11:17). Truth can be compared With The Capitol in Rome, which was the strongest building of this city, or with the Tower of David, on which hung a thousand shields (see Song of Songs 4:4). Our military fortresses and navies do not strengthen us as the truth strengthens us.

Truth is the best army of the Kingdom of God; if we deviate from the truth and indulge in papism, then, figuratively speaking, the strand of hair in which our strength was cut off. For what then should we be so decisive if not for the sake of truth?

We must strive through hard struggle and suffering “because of the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). If it happens that the truth departs from England, then we can write the epitaph on England's tombstone: "Glory has departed."

AND, second, this holy effort also occurs when we exercise special zeal for our own salvation. The Apostle Peter speaks about this: “...Be diligent to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Greek word in original text This message emphasizes the alarming thoroughness of man in assessing his own spiritual state, his serious thoughts about eternity. It emphasizes the anxiety that makes both the head and heart of a person work. It is in this channel of true faith that the zeal of all Christians should manifest itself.

* * *

Thirdly, What else does holy effort mean? It includes the following three factors:

1) decisiveness of will;

2) strength of feelings;

3) the energy of aspiration.

Determination of will. King David testifies: “I have sworn to keep Your righteous judgments, and I will fulfill them” (Ps. 119:106). Whatever is on the way to heaven - even if it is a lion - I will fight it as a determined military leader who is responsible for his entire army. The Christian is always resolute; no matter what happens, he will reach heaven. When such determination is present in a person, danger is neglected, difficulties are not taken into account, and fear is despised.

Thus, the first step of a person in the manifestation of holy effort is the determination of his will. A determined man says, “I will be in heaven, no matter what it costs me,” and this determination must be in the power of Christ.

Determination is like an inclined plane for a ball, which inexorably makes the ball move. Where there is half determination, that is, where there is both a desire to be saved and a desire to follow sin, it is impossible to be very zealous in the pursuit of heaven. If the traveler is indecisive, then at times he will go in one direction, and at times in the other. Thus he strives for nothing.

The power of feelings. A person's will stems from his sanity. The human mind receives information about the perfection of the state of heavenly glory, and the will becomes determined to begin the journey to that holy land. And now the person’s feelings follow. They're burning in strong desire strive for heaven. These feelings are very strong. The psalmist says: “My soul thirsts for the mighty, living God” (Ps. 41:3).

The rabbis point out that in this text David does not say “my soul is hungry,” but he says “thirst,” since by nature we are more impatient when we want to quench our thirst than when we feel hungry. See how quickly and powerfully David's feelings are carried away in his desire for God. These feelings are like the wings of a bird, which make the soul hasten in its flight to glory. Where a person's feelings are thus aflame, there is an effort made towards heaven.

Energy of aspiration. This energy includes the efforts of a person achieving salvation. We strive for salvation as we should strive when it comes to our life and death. You can talk about heaven, but never get to heaven; we must operam navare [Latin expression (editor's note)] that is, "must exert all our strength," and, moreover, we must call upon heaven's help in this work.

* * *

Fourthly, we will consider in which areas of his spiritual life a Christian should make efforts. There are four of these spheres. The Christian must make an effort:

1) in relation to oneself;

2) in the fight against Satan;

3) in confrontation with the world;

4) in pursuit of heaven.

It seems that "traditional Christians" do not have a clear opinion on this matter.

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been taken by force, and
those who make effort delight him." (Matthew 11:12)

The phrase, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (11:12) can be understood in at least three different ways. Difficulties and different views arise due to the fact that the verb “those who use effort” (biazetai; “biazetai” is the present middle or indicative mood in the passive voice of the verb biazomai) and the noun in plural"using effort" (" strong people" - biazetai - "biastai", used only here in the NT) can both be understood in either a positive or a negative sense. The verb biazetai is especially difficult because in Greek it can justifiably be translated either in the middle voice (" advancing with effort"), or in the passive (“enduring violence”).

I. “The kingdom has advanced with effort (middle voice with positive meaning) and strong (good) people admire it” (NIV). According to this view, on one side is the Kingdom of God, which has been pushing forward and growing ever since the time of John. On the other hand, those who wish to enter the Kingdom must make perseverance, determination and great effort to enter it, because Satan, demons and the world are against them (Clement of Alexandria “Quis div. salv.”, 21; Gregory of Nazianzus, “Orat .", 40:24; Hendriksen, 489; Irenaeus "Adv. Haer", 4:37:7; Ladd "Presence of the Future", cited from Hegner, 307; MacArthur "Matthew", 8-15, 256-7 ; R. Otto, "The Kingdom of God and the Son of Man", 111; cited from Davis and Ellison, 2:254).

(1) The only other use of this verb (biazetai) in the New Testament is in Luke. 16:16, and there it has positive value.

OBJECTION. Firstly, although Luke. 16:16 is similar to the passage in question, there are some key differences that allow Luke. 16:16 have a positive meaning, and Matt. 11:12 - negative. First of all, they concern various situations and different settings (Bok "Luke", 1352), and the words stand in various forms. Luke does not have the noun (people) "using effort" ("biastai"), or the verb "delight" - (capture) "arpazousin" (Holm, 200). Secondly, Matthew specifies that it is the strong or forceful people who make their way to the entrance, while Luke says that it is “everyone.” Third, similarity is not equality, and “Jesus may have used similar linguistic expressions to reveal different truths” (Morris, 282).

(2) The immediate context (11:4-5) indicates the Kingdom coming with authority or "power." EDNT (1:216) gives "to use force" as one of the definitions of the word biazomai.

OBJECTION. This word is usually defined not as "force" but as "action" or "violence" (BAGD, 140; DNTT, 3:711). They are the other two (of three) values ​​given in EDNT, 1:216.

(3) The middle voice of biazetai is more common than the passive voice (Carson 8:266, Hegner 306).

OBJECTION. This does not exclude the passive meaning here.

(1) The noun boistai is always used in a negative or bad sense to denote violent or impulsive people and never to denote good people, as in the 1st opinion above (BAGD, 141). The verb “to take by force” or “to take into one’s hands” arpazousin (harpazousin) “is almost always used in a negative sense” (Hegner, 306), as in “to take away by force, like a robber” (TDNT, 3:711, n. 7), which is the opposite of the positive meaning given in the 1st opinion above. This is how it is used in its only other use in Heb. Matthew (13:19). Therefore, the second part of this sentence cannot be translated with a positive meaning.

(2) The context of this chapter emphasizes gentleness and submission to enter the Kingdom rather than the use of brute force or self-effort (11:28-30).

II. “The kingdom has greatly advanced (middle voice with a positive sense), and furious (bad) people are attacking it” (Carson, 8:267). In this understanding, the verse says that the kingdom has advanced greatly since the beginning of John's ministry, but it has not eliminated all opposition (as John expected it to), and there are those who vehemently attack it. These are people like Herod Antipas, as he imprisoned John, the Jewish leaders (9:34; 12:22-24) and those who longed for a political Messiah (Carson, 8:267-8; Fenton, 138, apparently; Pamment's "Kingdom" Heavenly according to the 1st Gospel" NTS 27, 1980-81: 211-32, given in Hegner, 307).

(1) This opinion fits well with the context (Carson, 8:267). Indeed, this perhaps fits a little better than opinion 3.

(2) The noun boistai is always used in a negative or bad sense, never denoting good people, but only violent or impulsive ones (BAGD, 141). Proponents of this opinion view the word in this way.

(3) The verb “to take by force,” or “to take into one’s hands” - arpazousin (“harpazousin”)” “is almost always used in a negative sense” (Hegner, 306), “to take away by force” (TDNT, 3:711, n 7), and this is exactly how supporters of this opinion view it.

(4) The immediate context of this passage speaks volumes about the evil forces that reject, hinder, and resist (some violently) the Kingdom of God. For example, Herod Antipas, who forcibly imprisoned John the Baptist (11:2); “this generation” that rejected John and Christ (11:16-19); and unrepentant cities (11:20-24; TDNT, 1:612).

(1) The verb biazetai and the noun biazetai are very closely related in meaning, which makes it unlikely that they are understood differently (one word in a negative sense and the other in a positive sense, or vice versa). “The parallelism of these sentences makes it clear that the verb “biazetai” denotes violence in the bad sense of the word” (Hill, 200).

OBJECTION. Two words with the same root need not necessarily be understood in the same sense, and there is no reason to indicate that the two phrases should be understood as parallel.

III. "The Kingdom is undergoing violence ( passive voice with a negative connotation), and violent (bad) people attack him" (King James Version, New American Standard Bible, NRSV, Modern Version). According to this approach, the Kingdom is undergoing violent conversion, that is, its messengers, preachers and supporters are being hindered , and such as Herod Antipas, the Jewish religious leaders, and the like reject them, using violence ["biazetai" as "to hinder": Jos. 13:16; 611, n. 10).] By doing this, they “seize it” and “take it away” from others (BAGD, 109), and “claim it for themselves” (BAGD, 109) (Beer, 260; Blomberg, 188- 9; Davis and Ellison, 2:256; Hegner, 307; Morris, TDNT, 1:611-2;

(1) The word biazetai "most often has the negative and passive meaning of 'to suffer violence'" (Blomberg, 187; TDNT, 1:611). "This corresponds to the common usage outside the Bible of the word "biazomai" and the second half of the verse" (Davis and Ellison, 2:256).

OBJECTION. This does not exclude in this case positive active value.

(2) The verb biazetai and the noun biestai are very closely related in meaning, which makes it unlikely that they are understood differently (one word in a negative sense and the other in a positive sense, or vice versa). “The parallelism of these sentences makes it clear that the verb “biazetai” denotes violence in the bad sense of the word” (Hill, 200).

OBJECTION. Two words with the same root need not necessarily be understood in the same sense, and there is no reason to indicate that the two phrases should be understood as parallel.

(3) The word "de" ("but") that begins verse 12 suggests a contrast with verse 11, also making the beginning of verse 12 most likely negative (Blomberg, 187).

(4) The noun boistai is always used in a negative or bad sense, never denoting good people, but only violent or impulsive ones (BAGD, 141). Proponents of this opinion view the word in this way.

(5) The verb “to take by force,” or “to take into one’s hands” - arpazousin (“harpazousin”)” “is almost always used in a negative sense” (Hegner, 306), “to take away by force” (TDNT, 3:711, n 7), and this is exactly how supporters of this opinion view it.

(6) The immediate context of this passage speaks volumes about the evil forces that reject, hinder, and resist (some violently) the Kingdom of God. For example, Herod Antipas, who forcibly imprisoned John the Baptist (11:2); “this generation” that rejected John and Christ (11:16-19); and unrepentant cities (11:20-24; TDNT, 1:612).

(7) In Matt. 23:13 “the Jewish leaders attempted to retain the reins of the Kingdom from the Messiah and force the Kingdom to conform to their pleasures” (Taussaint, “Behold the King,” 152).

Thus, with their hatred and resistance, they subjected the Kingdom to violence and tried to snatch it from the people.

IV. “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and those who use force take it by force.”

CONCLUSION. The second phrase, almost with complete certainty, should be considered negative (against the 1st opinion), since the noun "biastai" is always used in a negative sense, never speaking of strong ones, good people, but only about the furious ones (BAGD, 141), and since the verb “to seize into one’s hands” (“arpaziousin”) “is almost always used in a negative sense” (Hegner, 306). Thus, the 1st opinion (which uses it in a positive sense) is excluded. Both the 2nd and 3rd approaches have the advantage of considering the second phrase "those who make effort delight" (biastai arpazousin) in this sense. Although the 2nd approach is possible and reads well in context (II, ZA-1), the extrabiblical use of "biazetai" as a passive voice (III, ZA-1), as well as the parallelism of both terms (III, 3A-2) make it more likely. Choose the 3rd approach.

Anatoly Ermokhin
Director of the Even-Ezer Foundation in the Ural region, Master of Theology.

Is the Kingdom of Heaven taken by force?

The other day, I listened to a sermon about Israel by one of the famous Russian-speaking teachers, and was once again convinced of the importance of revising the interpretations of a number of New Testament texts in the light of modern achievements in biblical studies. In particular, I once again heard an interpretation as old as this world of the text from Matt. 11:12 - " …The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force… " Once again, from the lips of a man I respected, there was a call to make efforts to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven!

But this is not correct!

I discovered the incorrectness of this approach quite a long time ago, 5-6 years ago, when I first began to turn to the relatively original ancient Greek text. Even then, I immediately noticed the distorted translation of Greek verbs into Synodal translation. Today, the understanding of this is accessible and open to the widest non-scholastic (non-scientific) Christian audience; one need only turn to the latest translation 2011 of the Russian Bible Society (RBS). But let's take it in order.

First of all, it is necessary, as always, to decide on the semantic pericope, i.e. with context. In this case, the semantic context of Christ's words begins in Matthew 11:1 and extends to the next 15 verses. It seems that in a certain sense the key verse may be verse 7: “ When they had gone, Jesus began to speak to the people about John... " The first important conclusion is that Jesus' words in verses 7 through 14 are exclusively about the person of John the Baptist. There is no sign that the thread of reasoning in Jesus' words is broken, and we can safely say that the words of verse 11 about the kingdom of heaven must certainly be understood in the light of reasoning about John the Baptist. For greater clarity, let's quote the text from verses 10 to 14:

“For he [John] is the one of whom it is written: Behold, I send My angel before You, who will prepare Your way before You. Truly I say to you, of those born of women there has not arisen a greater one than John the Baptist; but the least of them in the kingdom of heaven is greater than him. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away, for all the prophets and the law prophesied before John, and if you want to accept it, he is Elijah, who is about to come.”

As we see, there is a single and inextricable thread of reasoning about John the Baptist, and into this thread, it would seem, for some incomprehensible reason, is woven the thought of the efforts that must be made to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

Now let's talk about the meaning of the Greek verbs - βιαζω and αρπαζω (biadzo and harpadzo), as well as the noun βιαστης (biastes). The verb βιαζω has a negative rather than positive meaning- commit violence, act violently, coerce, rape (according to the lexicons of Dvoretsky and Liddell-Scott). Hence the meaning of the noun βιαστης - rapist (cf. βιασμος - “violence”). The verb αρπαζω means to grab, kidnap, seize, appropriate, rob. What happens? It turns out the following: " From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been raped, and the rapists have seized it. " Look how the RBO biblical scholars translated this verse: “ From the days of John the Baptist to this day, the Kingdom of Heaven has been fought against and destroyed by rapists ».

All we have to do is explain how the new reading fits into the context of Jesus' words. In general, much more harmonious than the previous version. Let's say again that we are talking about John the Baptist. We see that Jesus calls him the greatest man in all previous history. What is his greatness? He is the one sent to prepare the way for the Messiah Himself. Does this have anything to do with the Kingdom of Heaven? Yes, directly! John was the first who, in the entire preceding Old Testament era, began to proclaim the approach of the Kingdom of Heaven - “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” It must be recalled that this phrase itself - the Kingdom of Heaven - is never found in the texts Old Testament. It is because of his role as the first herald of the Kingdom of Heaven that John receives such high praise from Jesus. In other words, John is a prophet with one foot in the Old Testament kingdom and the other in the New Testament. He was the first to bring the ideals of the Heavenly Kingdom to earth.

Now, remember where chapter 11 begins and, accordingly, our context. It all begins with how John, already in Herod’s prison, sends his disciples to Jesus. I want to ask: have you noticed important aspect? John is in prison! The Baptist was captured, violence was committed against him - the first associate of the Kingdom of Heaven! Jesus characterizes this situation with words that became the reason for our reasoning. Let's try to put them in plain text.

Jesus says that from the very moment John began to proclaim and preach the Kingdom of Heaven, there have been rapists who have been trying to capture representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven in order to prevent its spread. Having seized John, the rapist Herod committed acts directed against the spread of the Kingdom of Heaven.

But this is all exegesis. Where is hermeneutics here? What is the new spiritual and moral meaning for us? Here’s the thing: no one enters the Kingdom of Heaven through their own efforts! It is it that enters into us, and at the same time we become its citizens, and this is all exclusively and thanks to what Jesus did. But our deeds and efforts have nothing to do with it. All by grace, gentlemen, by grace...

That's basically it.
What questions will there be?

* Pericope (Greek περικοπή, “separation”) - in rhetoric - holistic in meaning or united storyline section or passage of text. Currently, the term is mainly used in biblical studies to refer to a set of fragments of text united by one meaning, plot or theological idea.
* Exegesis - the search for the original historical meaning of the text, i.e. what the text meant there and then.