Question: Matthew 11:11 has bothered me for years: "Among them that are born of women there hath not ...

Question: Matthew:11:11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
See All... has bothered me for years: "Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." I don't understand it.

Response: When Satan and his demons have been thrown into the Lake of Fire, never to be released, and the kingdom of God and of heaven (they are the same) has been established for eternity, spanning from earth to heaven, the very least in that future eternal state will be greater than the greatest saint or prophet was while living on earth. Christ is giving us a little glimpse of how much better heaven is than the best earth can offer.

We get hints of this all through Scripture: "When he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John:3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
See All...); "the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory..." (1 Peter:5:10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
See All...) Nothing like this has ever been said of the greatest saints alive on earth.

Now let's look a bit further at what the disciples asked and at the prayer Christ taught them to pray, which the church for centuries has erroneously called "the Lord's prayer." It's really the disciples' prayer.

They ask: "Lord teach us to pray" (Luke:11:1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
See All...). His response was: "After this manner...pray ye...Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew:6:9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
See All...). Our own hearts and day-by-day experience assure us that God's kingdom has not yet come because His will is most assuredly not yet done on earth as in heaven. We are not yet "in the kingdom" to which Christ referred, or this prayer would be meaningless.

We should use this pattern often in our prayers. The answer to this prayer will not come until this future kingdom has been established.