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Can you help me with this Bible verse?
Mt. 11.11: "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. "
What is the meaning of this statement? John the Baptist is not in heaven? Who is the least in the kingdom of heaven?
11 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
Kingdom of heaven is not for those who are born of women. That is only for those who are born of the Spirit. Or we can say born of God. God's children will only inherit the kingdom or throne. John the baptist have not believed fully (without question) that Jesus was the son of God. He confessed Jesus as the lamb of God in the beginning but when he was imprisoned later by Herod he got confusions and sent his disciples to confirm whether Jesus was the Messiah or they have yet to wait for another one.
For that Jesus did not send a clear reply. So we understand that John died in confusion. If John was firm in his faith he would have took baptism under Jesus and would have become a disciple of Jesus.
He would have born again. He would have received the Holy Spirit later.
- RandomaticLv 51 decade ago
It means that anyone who is in heaven right now is greater than John the Baptist. However on earth, John is great. This all adds up that this planet earth is full of filth and fallen. Only those God has chosen will be remove one day.
Praise the Lord Jesus
- 1 decade ago
John the Baptist is in Heaven . He among all of the disciples is Most Certainly there! The whole passage is self explanatory and it seems that you have not read it! To that date John is the greatest follower of Jesus the Messiah ! He was the Elijah as Jesus said here ,that was to come to prepare the way for Jesus arrival! . The Kingdom of Heaven is the Kingdom God established when Jesus walked the earth . It has not fully arrived and will not until Jesus Returns. Are you a Mormon ? is this why you are attempting to say that you are one of the False witness es of Christ Jesus ?
Jesus Witnesses which will rise in the Tribulation are His only witness ! They will be Jews ! YOU ARE NOT a Jew unless you were born into a Jewish family and only if your Mother was Jewish !
If you are a hew what tribe do you come from and don't say Dan or Ephraim ! They lost their inheritance!
If you are not from a son of Israel then in no way are you a Jew or a witness of Jehovah's because the Rapture has NOT happened and you are NOT Israel's descendants!
- Cactus12Lv 61 decade ago
The hope of being part of the Kingdom arrangement was not fully opened up to faithful ones until holy spirit was poured out at Pentecost 33Â C.E. By that time, John the Baptist had died.—Acts 2:1-4.
So John the Baptist is not in heaven but sleeping in death (Ecclesiastes 9:5), waiting to be resurrected here on earth after Armageddon. Acts 24:15
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- Anonymous1 decade ago
Should we conclude from Matthew 11:11 that Jesus knew in advance that John the Baptizer would die before Jesus?
Yes, Jesus evidently did know that John would not survive to become an anointed Christian, for Jesus commented: “Truly I say to you people, Among those born of women there has not been raised up a greater than John the Baptist; but a person that is a lesser one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is.”—Matthew 11:11.
When the angel Gabriel announced the coming birth of John, he foretold that John would, “with Elijah’s spirit and power, . . . get ready for Jehovah a prepared people.” John was to be a forerunner, preparing a people for Jehovah’s Messiah. But nothing in that divine announcement indicated that John himself would become a disciple of the coming Messiah, nor was there any suggestion to that effect in the prophetic statement made by John’s father, Zechariah.—Luke 1:17, 67-79.
Thus, after baptizing Jesus, John continued to preach and baptize, sticking to his assignment to prepare a people. John miraculously knew that Jesus would provide a baptism with holy spirit, but John did not say that he himself would receive holy spirit, becoming an anointed Christian. (Matthew 3:11) John also recognized that he would go on decreasing, while Jesus would go on increasing.—John 3:22-30.
When Jesus said what we read at Matthew 11:11, John was already imprisoned. Jesus made it known in advance that this imprisoned prophet was lesser than the least one who in the future would serve as a king-priest in the heavens. Yet, Jesus also seems to have known that John was soon to die, passing off the earthly scene before the “new” way to heavenly life was opened. (Hebrews 10:19, 20) That meant that John would not survive until Pentecost 33 C.E., when the anointing of Jesus’ disciples with spirit began. Hence, Jesus’ comment at Matthew 11:11 can be taken as well to be an indication that he knew that John would not go to heaven.
Source(s): The Bible - 1 decade ago
He is saying, he thinks of all the men born, john is great, but in heaven the greatest is the least and the least on earth are the greatest in heaven, Matt 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
- ?Lv 61 decade ago
No one goes to heaven; Jesus returns to earth; we stay on earth; the meek inherit the earth; God's chosen rule on earth with Jesus.
John 3:13
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven are two different things.
Heaven is a dimension which is everywhere.
Matthew 5:34
But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne...
The Kingdom of Heaven is the millennium rulership of Jesus on earth.
1 Corinthians 15:24
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
- musaLv 71 decade ago
Iam a muslim who believe in Jesus (pbuh) as one mighty messenger of God. So is John the Baptist (pbuh). Let me explain that in Muslim perpective. Till Jesus "there was no one that was born of a women greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he". Not even Jesus for Jesus humbled Himself as a guided servant of God.Though one of us litterally, but spiritually, he belonged to the Kingdom of God. In a critical perspective, not even Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) will be greater than the least of us that will be in the Kingdom of Heaven. B'cos, all the Prophets were guided servants of God. They don't belong here. They belong to the Kingdom of God by virtue of being prophets of God..
That refers to one among us, who would be the least that would be in the Kingdom God, by virtue of our right belief ,our deeds and actions . One among us that would earn the Kingdom of God.
God knows best.
- 1 decade ago
Jesus is talking about the superiority of the new dispensation and the exalted nature of the spiritual kingdom in relation to earth.
Heaven is greater than earth he is saying. As you can see from the earlier verses in the chapter John is alive at this time. He sent his disciples to Jesus and he was speaking to them.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
there is no heaven but the beautiful blue sky..!!!!