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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Matthew 11:12 - 11:15
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The conclusion:
v. 12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
v. 13. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
v. 14. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come.
v. 15. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Since the time that John preached his message of preparation, it is possible to get possession of the kingdom of heaven; yea, and the violent actually take hold of it with a stormy hand, with a sure grip. The whole movement was a convincing argument for the earnestness and power of John's message. "The tax-gatherers and heathens, whom the scribes and Pharisees think have no right to the kingdom of the Messiah, filled with holy zeal and earnestness, seize at once the proffered mercy of the Gospel, and so take the kingdom as by force from those learned doctors who claimed for themselves the chiefest places in that kingdom. " The fact that the new era has actually begun with John the Baptist is set forth once more. The prophecy preached of a kingdom which was to come, John's preaching referred to a kingdom realized in the coming of Jesus. Here was no more prophecy, but fulfillment: The Christ now stood revealed, all predictions and types are found in the life of Jesus, Luk_16:16. Up till John the Law ruled; he stands on the threshold between the old and the new. Since John the Gospel is in power; he is the antitype of Elijah. This fact may seem rather hard to understand, but they should make an attempt, nevertheless, to receive it. For it is a truth demanding intelligent and attentive ears, such as are ready to learn and to believe as well as to hear.