Heaven by Force

Main Discussion

This article seeks to expound only two NT verses. Critical phrases in each are highlighted:

[Note that unless otherwise specified, all Bible text citations are from the New American Standard, 1995 version.]

Mat 11.12
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν

and

Luk 16.16
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται μέχρι Ἰωάννου ἀπὸ τότε ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγελίζεται καὶ πᾶς εἰς αὐτὴν βιάζεται.

[See Appendix 1 for a side-by-side comparison of the sub-phrases of each verse.]

The organization for the main points of this article is:

• Point 1 tells us why there is a prominent mention of John the Baptist in both texts.
• Points 2 - 3 review the necessary grammar needed to develop the solution.
• Points 4 - 6 present the problems with current translations.
  [See Appendix 2: Translations of Mat 11.12: ἁρπάζουσιν and Appendix 3: Translations of Luk 16.16: βιάζεται for details.]
• Point 7 reveals a vital key to a complete and proper understanding of the texts.
• Point 8 documents the solution to the so-called "enigma" of the texts.

Here is the directory for the points above:

1. In Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16, what is the significance of the mention of John the Baptist?
2. The meaning of the active, middle and passive voices in the Greek NT.
3. The meaning of the indicative mode in the Greek NT.
4. In Mat 11.12, what are some problems of the common translations of “and violent men take it by force”?
   [“violent”, G973, βιασταὶ, Noun, 3P]
   [“take away, snatch away by force”, G726, ἁρπάζουσιν, Present Active Indicative 3P]
   [See Appendix 2: Translations of Mat 11.12: ἁρπάζουσιν for details.]
   
5. In Luk 16.16, what are the common translations of “and everyone is forcing his way into it”?
   [“is forcing”, G971, βιάζεται, Present Middle/Passive Indicative 3S]
   [See Appendix 3: Translations of Luk 16.16: βιάζεται for details.]
   
6. In Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16, why is βιάζεται translated with apparently different voices, although it is the middle/passive voice in both?
   [Mat 11.12: “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence”]
   [Luk 16.16: “and everyone is forcing his way into it”]
7. The Key: Isaiah 6 and Matthew 13.
8. The biblical solution to the “enigma” of these verses.

As the numbered points above indicate, most of the discussion revolves around several points of the Greek grammar of both verses. However, I must begin with the non-grammar point.

1. In Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16, what is the significance of the mention of John the Baptist?

The ministry of John the Baptist was a significant point in time of the LORD’s program of the Law and the prophets. Both verses use an adverbial phrase to establish this truth:

Mat 11.12
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν

and

Luk 16.16
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται μέχρι Ἰωάννου ἀπὸ τότε ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγελίζεται καὶ πᾶς εἰς αὐτὴν βιάζεται

 While the verses use different adverbs, the meaning is the same:

“from … until now” and “since the time”.

John marked the end of the ministry of the Law and the prophets to herald the start of the time of the gospel of grace.

Mat 3.1-3
Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”

Both verses state the same truth (about John) and so in this respect are parallel. From this point forward they state what appears to be different truths though, as we’ll see, this is due to a mistranslation of Luk 16.16.

2. The meaning of the active, middle and passive voices in the Greek NT.

Much of the reasoning below is based on the proper and consistent handling of the voice of the verb βιάζω [G971]. In both Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16 the middle/passive form, βιάζεται, is used. This is very significant (as we’ll see).

Let’s take a moment to review some basic Greek grammar regarding the topic of voice. There are three voices in NT Greek:

1. active [also in English]
2. passive [also in English]
3. middle [not in English]

The active voice is when the subject performs the action of the verb:

The boy hit the ball.

The subject is boy, the verb is hit, and the object is ball. The verb, hit, is in the active voice.

The passive voice is when the subject is acted upon by the verb:

The boy was hit by the ball.

The subject is boy, the object is ball, but now the subject is acted upon by the ball. The verb hit is in the passive voice.

The middle voice is when the verb “is acting on, to, or for the subject in some way” (Darryl Burling, Biblical Master Academy). English does not have a native middle voice; instead, it depends on “helper” reflexive pronouns and prepositions to convey the middle meaning:

The boy hit himself with the ball.

The subject is boy, ball is the object, but now the action of the verb hit by the subject is that the boy is acting upon himself, not upon the ball. (Note the use of the helper words himself and with. Many times, these words are not supplied in the NT Greek; they are implied and therefore not needed.

[There is a much larger technical discussion of the middle voice that involves what are termed deponent verbs. However, as I’ll note again below, βιάζω is not a deponent verb, and so this point is irrelevant and I therefore won’t get into this unnecessary complexity.]

[It is important to note that in Greek, differently than in English, the verb frequently has a different form depending on its voice. That is, the active voice has one form and the middle/passive voice shares another form.]

One point that is needed is this:

“In the present tense, the forms of verbs in the middle voice are identical to their forms in the passive.”
William d. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek, Zondervan, 1993, pg 148.

The verb βιάζω is found in the present tense and in the middle/passive voice (that is, βιάζεται), in both Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16, so the rule noted by Mounce above applies.

3. In Mat 11.12, what is the meaning of the indicative mode in the Greek NT.

[Note that some Greek grammars refer to mode as mood.]

Mood expresses the verb’s relation to reality. In the indicative mood, the verb expresses what is, not what is hoped for or what could/should/might be. The verb βιάζεται in both Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16 is in the indicative mood, expressing a real violence of some sort.

[There are several modes in the NT Greek: indicative, subjunctive, imperative, and so on. In this article, we are interested only in the indicative mood, since that is what is used in Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16.]
[As you’ll see in Appendix 3, this fact immediately rules out translations such as the Christian Standard Bible, the Holman Christian Standard Bible and the NET Bible, since they read more like the subjunctive mood rather than the indicative mode (the mode of possibility vs. the mode of reality).]

4. In Mat 11.12, what are some problems of the common translations of “and violent men take it by force”?

[“violent”, G973, βιασταὶ, Noun, 3P]
[“take, snatch away by force”, G726, ἁρπάζουσιν, Present Active Indicative 3P]

Note that many of the translations of Matt 11.12 (c.f. Appendix 2) are very similar. However, to evaluate each, you need to be familiar with two important definitions:

1. βιασταὶ [noun: the violent, violent men], and
2. ἁρπάζουσιν [verb: take away by force, snatch away]

The root of the noun of point 1 (βιασταὶ) is the same as for the verb βιάζω. Since βιάζω is a verb of violence (no pun intended), βιασταὶ should be translated as a noun of a person of violent behavior. The following, for example, miss the mark:

• A Faithful Version: "and the zealous ones lay hold on it."
  A person can be zealous without being violent.
• Haweis New Testament: "and the invaders forcibly seize upon it."
  A person can be an invader without being violent.
• Lamsa Bible: "and only those in power control it."
  A person can be in power without being violent.
• NET Bible: "and forceful people lay hold of it."
  A person can be forceful without being violent.
• Worsley New Testament: "and the most pressing seize upon it with eagerness."
  A person can be pressing without being violent.

Note that ἁρπάζω is the same verb used in these well-known verses (among others):

Mat 12.29
“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Mat 13.19
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

Joh 10.28
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

Act 8.39
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

Act 23.10
And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.

1 The 4.17
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
The event known as the "rapture" is the term applied to the "snatching away" of the LORD's saints when the Lord Christ returns.

Rev 12.5
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

[As you can see, the main meaning of ἁρπάζω is “to snatch away”; the "snatching" may be:
• violent,
• surreptitious,
• forceful, or
• neutral.]

In Mat 11.12, there is the qualification that it is the violent who are doing the snatching, so translations like “snatch by force” or “take away by force” are accurate.

[The translation “take it by force” is adequate and very similar in meaning to the “snatch away” action of the verb ἁρπάζω.]
[As we’ll see in Point 8 (the solution), the definition of “snatch away”, rather than merely “take”, conveys very well the meaning in Mat 11.12.]

Regarding the indicative verb ἁρπάζουσιν, nearly every translation that I’ve found reads “… take it by force.” or “… seize it by force.” These translations generally are adequate. Note that the following translations have one or more problems (some minor, some major):

• A Faithful Version: and the zealous ones lay hold on it.
  “Laying hold” is not the same as “snatch”.
• Berean Study Bible: and the violent lay claim to it.
  “Laying claim” is not the same as “snatch”.
• International Standard Version: and violent people have been attacking it.
  It is possible to “attack” without “snatching it away”.
• Lamsa Bible: and only those in power control it.
  It is possible to “control” something without “snatching it away”.
• New International Version: and violent people have been raiding it.
  Besides a problem in the tense, to “raid” does not necessarily connote “snatch”. (In some contexts it might mean "to destroy".)
• New Living Translation: and violent people are attacking it.
  It is possible to "attack" something without “snatching it away”.
• Worsley New Testament: and the most pressing seize upon it with eagerness.
  Both the noun and the verb are translated poorly: “most pressing” does not connote the violence of the noun, and “seize upon with eagerness” does not connote the “snatch away”. (In some contexts it might mean "to hoard".)

5. In Luk 16.16, what are the common translations of “and everyone is forcing his way into it”?

[βιάζεται, “is forcing”, G971, Present Middle/Passive Indicative 3S]

It appears that most of the translations in Appendix 3 assume that the verb βιάζω is deponent. Using the NASB95 as a representative example, we have:

New American Standard Bible: "and everyone is forcing his way into it."

[The “justification” for this translation (that is, the mood of the “forcing” is seen as active, not middle/passive) can only be that each of those translators (mis)applied the rule that in the case of a present tense verb in the middle/passive voice, then it should be translated as an active voice. This is a valid rule, but if and only if the verb is deponent.

Without getting into the lengthy discussion of deponent verbs, there is a simple overriding rule:

“You can tell if a verb is deponent by its lexical form.”
William D. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek, Zondervan, 1993, pg 148.

The verb form used in Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16 is βιάζεται (a middle/passive form). The (lexical) active form, βιάζω, is found in the

Bauer Arndt Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
and other Early Christian Literature
The University of Chicago Press, 1975,

a clear indication that it is not deponent, per the rule asserted by Mounce.]

If my readers wonder why nearly 40 different translations assume the active voice when the form is middle/passive voice, I can only speculate:

1. As I just mentioned, nearly all of them appear to assume that βιάζω is deponent. (Again, it is not.) I assume that this is because the active form does not appear in the NT and βιάζω was therefore viewed as a deponent verb.
   [The active form does appear in extra-biblical literature of the time.]
2. Attempting a meaningful middle voice translation in Luk 16.16 is not possible.
   [How is “the kingdom of God forced upon itself”, “the kingdom of God is forcing evil” or “the kingdom of God forces itself upon the violent.”? These all are nonsense.]
3. At first glance, the active voice is the only one that appears to have a chance of making a meaningful translation—assuming you resort to metaphysical interpretations: “the violent make every effort to enter the kingdom of heaven”. The problem with this line of interpretation is that it goes against the clear teaching of Scripture (from the Lord’s own words):
   Mat 5.3
   Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   and
   Mat 19.14
   But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
   
   The texts above are clearly against the notion that in someway or method that violence is associated with entering the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is obtained by faith alone! (Eph 2.8-9) Forcefulness of any kind is not part of the process, much less violence. Any (metaphysical?) “interpretation” that tries to combine any type of forcefulness with entry into the kingdom of God is both nonsense and clearly contrary to the Lord’s own words—regardless of the number of translations which attempt to translate it as such.
   
   [I did some “spot checks” from online commentaries. I found surprising the number that tried to justify translations like this with metaphysical "interpretations" because they didn't realize that they were looking at a mistranslation of Luk 16.16, with some related effect on their related understanding of Mat 11.12.]

6. In Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16, why is βιάζεται translated with apparently different voices, although it is the middle/passive voice in both?

Note the following:

Mat 11.12
the kingdom of heaven suffers (experiences) violence [passive voice, passive translation]
ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται

and

Luk 16.16
and everyone is forcing his way into it [passive voice, active translation]
πᾶς εἰς αὐτὴν βιάζεται

In Mat 11.12, the translation correctly uses the sense of the passive voice: the subject (“the kingdom of heaven”) is affected by the verb (“suffers/experiences violence”). This is a classic example of the passive voice.

In Luk 16.16, the translation incorrectly assumes the active voice (though the actual form is passive): in this case (again, because it incorrectly assumes the active voice) the subject (“everyone”) performs the action of the verb (“is forcing … into it”).

The Lord Christ spoke both verses; He (through the wonderful method of the inspiration of the Scriptures) used the same verb and voice for each verse. We are expected to assume that the Lord Christ had the same thought in mind because He never contradicts Himself!

So, we must ask the question: What is the justification for two very different translations for the same thought expressed by the same speaker in a pair of the synoptic gospels?

They both can’t be right! One text can’t be translated as passive and the other text translated as active when the passive form is used for both!

To resolve this apparent contradiction we can be guided by this common logical axiom:

• both translations are wrong, or
• one translation is right and the other translation is wrong.

There is no strong reason that both are wrong; the grammar is much too simple. That leaves only the alternative that one is right and the other wrong. But which is which? By now it should be obvious: first, the translation of βιάζεται as passive (Mat 11.12) makes sense and does not contradict other clear Scripture. So far, that qualifies it as the option that is true.

This strongly implies that the active voice translation of Luk 16.16 is incorrect, and that ia passive voice translation is required, just as the Lord Christ spoke in Mat 11.12. 

Whatever temporary confusion we may experience from this conclusion, this is the only option left to us.

This is the crux of the reasons for so many different translations and interpretations! In my opinion, the translators simply did not spend the time with these verses—Luk 16.16 specifically—to work at them until they arrived at a translation both that was true to the grammar and biblical in its meaning.

So, if you are following me so far, the next logical question is as simple as it is expected:

How should Luk 16.16 be translated, to be consistent with the passive voice?

Of all the versions on BibleHub, I only found two which use the passive voice in their translations. The first is this one:

Smith's Literal Translation: "and every one is forced into it."

While the voice translation is clearly passive, one must acknowledge that no one is forced into the kingdom of God. Clearly, this translation is nevertheless wrong (that is, compared to the rest of Scripture, not from the grammar).

That leaves the other translation, which appears to have captured the Lord’s thought correctly:

International Standard Version: and everyone entering it is under attack.
[That is, violence is done to them: passive voice.]

We’ll see more on this thought below, in the summary in Point 8.

7. The Key: Isaiah 6 and Matthew 13.

Luke’s gospel provides that final critical piece that I need to present for the solution, namely the Lord Christ’s answer to a question posed to Him by the Pharisees:

Luk 17.20-21
Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

It is a self-evident truth that if there is a kingdom, there must be a King: that King is the Lord Christ as Luk 17.20-21 tells us!

The expectations of the Pharisees were wrong. The Lord’s answer highlighted that error, and by design, continued to highlight that error by obfuscating the answer.

That is, the Lord’s answer to their request was hidden, as the prophet Isaiah prophesied centuries earlier:

Isa 6.9-10
He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;
Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
“Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes dim,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”

The obstinance of the Jews through the centuries, and especially the unparalleled rebellion of the “religious elite” Jews of the Lord’s day, were more than worthy of this judgment against them. You remember that after the Lord spoke the Parable of the Sower/Soils to the multitudes, once the Lord Christ and His disciples were apart from the crowds the disciples asked:

Mat 13.10-14
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled …

 It is at this point in the narrative that the Lord cites Isa 6.

Therefore, the Lord’s answer to the Pharisees in Luk 17 is yet another example of this same principle: the answer to their query was standing right in front of them, but as Isaiah prophesied centuries before, they could not see or understand!

8. The biblical solution to the “enigma” of these verses.

Above I laid out each of the pieces which will lead us to the solution of the “enigma” (quotes intended). I hope that it is becoming clear that these verses are really no enigma at all; in fact, they are abundantly clear once a single point of grammar is laid out. Moreover, they are remarkably parallel both in construction and meaning.

Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16 are yet additional examples of the clear maxim maintained on SolaScripturaToday:

“The LORD meant what He said and He said what He meant.”

What does this have to do with Mat 11.12 and Luk 16.16?

First, let’s re-read Mat 11.12, this time applying the understanding that I’ve placed in bold:

Mat 11.12
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven experiences violence, and violent men take Him [the Lord Christ, the King of the Kingdom] by force.

Next, let’s re-read Luk 16.16, this time applying the understanding that I’ve placed in bold:

Luk 16.16
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone entering into it experiences violence.

 Note the remarkable parallelism: the Lord Christ taught us that both He and His disciples were to face violence as a consequence of their service to the LORD. Once the verses are translated correctly and consistently the meaning is clear.

The remainder of this chapter documents each of these truths from Scripture.

Violence done to the Lord Christ: Mat 11.12

The Lord Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven! Everything that happens in the Kingdom of Heaven is also the experience of the Lord Christ; it can’t be otherwise. Following are many examples of the violence done to the Lord Christ during His ministry up to and including His crucifixion. Together, they show unmistakably that the Kingdom of Heaven experienced violence in the person of its King.

Violence during His ministry.

As you’ll see, the Lord Christ was hated by the religious elite of His day (the Pharisees, the Scribes and the Sadducees). Their contempt for Him knew no bounds; they could not rest until the Lord Christ was dead (or so they thought!). 

Violence during His crucifixion.

The Apostle Paul made an interesting observation in his first epistle to the Corinthians which highlighted the unquenchable and self-destructive evil of that generation of the Jews, especially the religious elite:

1 Cor 2.6-8
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

Weeks after the crucifixion of the Lord Christ, the Apostles and some disciples were (carefully!) brought before the high priest and the Sadducees (who were jealous of the attention and obvious divine authority given to the early Apostles).

Act 5.28-29
When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Yes, the guilt of His blood was upon them; it was already too late that they realized that dreadful fact. Their “victory” over the King of Heaven was as  short-lived as it was short-sighted; the Lord Christ can’t be killed! They could not then, nor can they ever escape the consequences of their hatred for the Righteous One.

[I frequently think of that generation of the Jews and their spectacular obstinance. They are long dead, but their souls have so far waited 2000 years in the torments of Hades for the Great White Throne Judgment; moreover, they will wait at least another 1000 years (the duration through the Millennium). That is a long time to contemplate their doom in the Outer Darkness that awaits them. (c.f. this site, The Final Sequence)]

Violence Promised and Done to the Followers of the Lord Christ: Luk 16.16

Finally, let’s re-read Luk 16.16, this time applying the understanding that I’ve placed in bold:

Luk 16.16
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone entering into it experiences violence.

 The Lord Christ told His disciples both that as He was being treated and would be treated, so likewise would they. The same truth is found here:

Joh 15.18-25
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

Joh 16.33
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Mat 10.16-18
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

The following is the testimony of the Scriptures for examples of this truth:

The treatment of the early disciples in Jerusalem.

The early chapters of Acts contain many references to the intimidating and violent treatment of the early disciples of the Lord Christ.

The treatment of the Apostle Paul throughout his ministry.

By this point in the history presented by the Acts, Luke turns his attention to the Apostle Paul, a frequent target of the hatred of the Jews. Just as the Lord Christ told the disciples in John 15, in the same way He warned Saul of Tarsus at his calling to preach the gospel, that he would suffer greatly:

Act 9.15-16
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

The same thing happened much later during his ministry upon his return to Jerusalem when the Lord Christ warned him about the Jews there:

Act 22.17-21
“It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’ And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The following texts show how twisted and evil the Jews were toward the Apostle Paul; they hatched frequent plots to kill him directly or encourage others to do the job:

The Apostle Paul has a great deal to teach us about all the sufferings he experienced and what he taught (through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) to the church, along with other NT texts up to and including the Revelation: