Ministries
View All Ministries
Sorry, your search returned no results :(
Sign In
Watch Live Now!
ClickTap below for audio-only mode
Finding the Best Church When Your Options Are Limited NEXT EPISODE IN 10
Clip
SKIP to Full Message SKIP
Now playing audio version of this video.
Switch back to video

The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence? Matthew 11:12 Explained

In this teaching, Pastor Mike unpacks one of the most difficult sayings of Jesus: Matthew 11:12, where Jesus says “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Pastor Mike explains the historical, biblical, and theological background of the passage, showing how the kingdom’s arrival through John the Baptist and Jesus overturned the religious status quo. Rather than respectable religious elites, it was repentant sinners, outcasts, and unlikely followers who urgently embraced the kingdom. This explanation helps clarify how spiritual hunger, repentance, and bold faith—not social status or religious pedigree—marked those who truly entered God’s kingdom.

Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.

Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.

Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/

Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

2/3/2026

More from Ask Pastor Mike Live

Featured Offer

Featured Offer

Did Jesus Exist Before Bethlehem?

Where and what was Jesus doing before the incarnation? Are there hints of Christ in the Old Testament? Yes! There was magnificent preparation and planning, which foreshadowed the incarnation that only a sovereign God could accomplish.

Be sure to request the book The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney and discover Christ in the Old Testament.

Request Yours

Featured Offer

Did Jesus Exist Before Bethlehem?

Where and what was Jesus doing before the incarnation? Are there hints of Christ in the Old Testament? Yes! There was magnificent preparation and planning, which foreshadowed the incarnation that only a sovereign God could accomplish.

Be sure to request the book The Unfolding Mystery by Edmund Clowney and discover Christ in the Old Testament.

Free Resources
Stay Connected with your favorite Ministry Newsletters and Devotionals
More Newsletters
In addition to your newsletter(s), you will receive email updates and special offers from Lightsource.com.

About Ask Pastor Mike Live

Focal Point is the Bible teaching ministry of author and pastor Mike Fabarez. Focal Point explores and proclaims the depths of Scripture on its daily radio broadcast and is dedicated to clearly explaining the truth of God’s Word.

About Pastor Mike Fabarez

Mike Fabarez is the founding pastor of Compass Bible Church in South Orange County, California and has been in pastoral ministry for more than 30 years. He is committed to clearly communicating God’s word verse-by-verse and encourages his listeners to apply what they have learned to their daily lives.

Pastor Mike is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Talbot School of Theology (M.A.) and Westminster Theological Seminary in California (D.Min.).

Mike is heard on hundreds of radio programs across the country on the Focal Point radio program and has authored several books, including Raising Men Not Boys, Lifelines for Tough Times, Preaching That Changes Lives, Getting It Right, Praying for Sunday, and Why the Bible?

Mike and his wife, Carlynn, reside in Laguna Hills, California and they have three children, Matthew, John and Stephanie.

Contact Ask Pastor Mike Live with Pastor Mike Fabarez

Mailing Address
Focal Point
P.O. Box 2850
Laguna Hills, CA 92654
Telephone
1-888-320-5885