Matthew 11:12 states:

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

What does this verse mean?  Many people believe it means that the kingdom is under attack by evil forces or that God is forcefully advancing the kingdom against evil forces.  But is this really what Jesus meant when He made the statement?

The time frame Jesus gave for this suffering of the kingdom of heaven is very specific and narrow: “from the days of John the Baptist until now”.  Jesus started His ministry in the days of John the Baptist, so Jesus is talking about the timeframe of His ministry.  Furthermore, the kingdom of heaven can refer to Jesus as He is the king of it. 

Realising these things leads us to understand that Jesus was talking about Himself.  He was talking about the persecution He was suffering during His ministry and would suffer, culminating in His violent death.