Jesus gave a prophecy in Matthew 16 of how He would build His future church (ekklesia). We know from the NT teachings that the church is His body. Along with that prophecy Jesus also gave the Method of Operation (M.O.) by which the church would operate during the dispensation of grace. This method of operation of the church would continue throughout the dispensation of grace, until the time, when Jesus, Himself, will return and gather His church unto Himself. We know this from the scriptural revelation given after the day of Pentecost and contained within the NT writings.
Let’s examine the prophecy that Jesus spoke concerning the building of the church (ekklesia).
Matt 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Let’s look at this a bit closer. First of all, Peter is not the rock upon which the church is built! “Peter” and “rock” are two similar words in the Greek but different.
Peter is #4074 Petros (pet'-ros); apparently a primary word; a (piece of) rock (larger than 3037); as a name, Petrus, an apostle:
rock is #4073 petra (pet'-ra); feminine of the same as 4074; a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively):
There was body language going on here with Jesus! It would seem that Jesus might have pointed with His finger at Peter and said, “As you are named, you are a rock bigger than a pebble. You are blessed by God to receive this revelation and state that I am the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Then it seems that Jesus would have pointed toward Himself or maybe placed His hand on His chest and said, “Upon This Rock I will build my church!” Jesus was saying that the confession of Him as being The Messiah, the Son of God, is the method of how He would build His church”! We know this from NT teachings.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
There are other NT doctrines, which affirm that Jesus is the corner stone, and He is building His church upon that corner stone one lively stone at a time or one individual believer at a time.
After Jesus states that He will build His church (future tense), He makes a very bold prophecy concerning things, which should take place during the duration of the church age or the dispensation of grace.
Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Wow! What are we going to do with a statement like that? It came right from the mouth of Jesus!
As we look around at the countries where the Word of God is forbidden to be taught, and look at our own country the USA and observe the assault on the Word of God and the assault on believers being waged today by ungodly government officials and ungodly organizations within our borders, it would seem that the church has failed in their assignment.
Peter received a great revelation of who Jesus was and then rebuked Jesus in verse 22. That shows just how fickle mankind can be in the flesh. The response to Peter by Jesus is important. “Get behind me Satan”! I pray that we can believe and not be fickle as Peter was that day. By the way, the phrase “get behind me” means, “get away, leave and go backwards to where you came from”! This will become important later on in this study.
Let’s examine the words spoken by Jesus to his disciples here in Matt 16:18. This is very important because these disciples are to be the core group of believers who would be the pioneers of the beginning of the church on the day of Pentecost and thereafter as recorded in Acts 2.
I will build is #3618 oikodomeo (oy-kod-om-eh'-o); from the same as 3619; to be a house-builder, i.e. construct or (figuratively) confirm:
The root word is #3619 oikodome (oy-kod-om-ay');feminine (abstract) of a compound of 3624 and the base of 1430; architecture, i.e. (concretely) a structure; figuratively, confirmation:
If we simplify this building process we would say that Jesus had His disciples with Him for some three years teaching and was preparing them for the future church building process. After His resurrection from the dead, in Acts 2 it seems that the disciples and others numbering above five hundred people witnessed His ascension into heaven.
Before Jesus ascended, He commanded His followers to go to the upper room and wait for the promise of the spirit of Truth. It appears that only one hundred and twenty or so went to the upper room. That is about 24%! On the day of Pentecost they received the promise of the spirit of Truth, which is “the Spirit of Christ,” and they were also baptized with the Holy Spirit (third member of the Godhead) and empowered for miracles.
Those in the upper room were the first “lively stones” laid into place on the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ and thus began the building process as spoken by Jesus in Matt 16. Then they went out into the streets and continued the building process. On the first day of work there were laid into place above three thousand more “lively stones” into the building process of the church, just as Jesus said in Matt 16:18.
Later on after Peter had a much better understanding of that which Jesus spoke to him, in
Matt 16, he penned his enlightened understanding in one of his epistles.
1 Pet 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them, which be disobedient, the stone, which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
This building process of the church, which is the body of Christ, is still in progress today. “Lively stones” i.e. “individual believers” are being added to the building of the church daily. There will come a time in the near future when the last “lively stone” will be placed into the building of the church, which is the body of Christ. At that time the church will be 100% complete. Just after that time Jesus, who is the head of the church, which is His body, will descend with a shout into the air and gather His body, which is the church, from the earth and so shall we, “the body” ever be with the Lord, who is “the Head of the body”. The Head and the body will be joined together at this time.
We know that the church, which is the body of Christ, is still being built by the same method of operation as explained by Jesus that day in Matt 16. It stands to reason that we also know that the rest of that prophecy given by Jesus in Matt 16 is Truth for the ekklesia today. Jesus states “the method of operation of the church” for today. Let’s look at more of the prophecy as it continues from the mouth of Jesus.
Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
gates is # 4439 pule (poo'-lay); apparently a primary word; a gate, i.e. the leaf or wing of a folding entrance (literally or figuratively):
This word “gate” #4439 refers to a gate that is on hinges and is moveable in order to open and to close. That would take place by the door swinging open or swinging closed. This is the same word “gate” as used in scripture when the angel delivered Peter from prison.
Acts 12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron
gate #4439 that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
The AHD definition of a gate is as follows.
gate n. 1. A structure that can be swung, drawn, or lowered to block an entrance or a passageway. 2. The structure surrounding such an opening, such as the monumental or fortified entrance to a palace or walled city. 3. A means of access.
There are only two functions of a “gate”. One is to swing open. The other is to swing closed.
If we compare the English word “door”, we will find a similar definition. The same is true with the English word “portal”. Let’s look at both.
(AHD) door n. 1. A movable structure used to close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates. 2. A doorway. 3. A means of approach or access
(AHD) por·tal n. 1. A doorway, an entrance, or a gate, especially one that is large and imposing. 2. An entrance or a means of entrance.
When we understand the meaning of the word “gate” as used by Jesus to mean that which can be opened to allow access or that which can be closed to forbid access, this understanding causes this prophecy in Matt 16 to become a bit more interesting and challenging.
If we pay close attention to the words of Jesus in Matt 16, it is clear that these “gates” are defined as a very particular set of gates. Jesus said that these are the gates of hell! Again.
Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
hell is #86 haides (hah'-dace); from 1 (as negative particle) and 1492; properly, unseen, i.e. "Hades" or the place (state) of departed souls:
That seems very serious doesn’t it? We have read over these scriptures many times without understanding the severity of that which Jesus is prophesying here as concerning the future church and the responsibility, which His church would carry.
Then Jesus includes something that seems a bit strange as concerning the church, which He said that He would build. Jesus said that these “gates of hell” shall not prevail against it!
“It” here is referring back to the church.
prevail against is #2729 katischuo (kat-is-khoo'-o); from 2596 and 2480; to overpower:
(AHD) overpower tr.v. 1. To overcome or vanquish by superior force; subdue. 2. To affect so strongly as to make helpless or ineffective; overwhelm.
This Greek word #2729 is only used in the scriptures two other places. One is when Pilate wanted to release Jesus because he found no fault in Him. The crowd and the chief priest overcame Pilate and his desire to release Jesus.
Luke 23:23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.#2729
24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.
We have not given enough meditation to this prophecy to extract the full meaning of the words of Jesus in this prophecy. Also, we sometimes allow our sloppy use of the English language to cloud our understanding.
When we just surface read that Jesus said, “The gates of hell shall not prevail or overcome the church” our mind will accept a third grade explanation of, “well it is not possible for the gates of hell to overpower the church”! However, that is not the meaning of this statement.
“Shall not” is a commandment! Jesus was giving prophecy to the future core of the church, which were His disciples. in a very short time from this prophecy, these disciples would launch the beginning of the future church. The very first prophecy of this coming church included Jesus commanding them to not allow the gates of hell to overpower the church.
shall not in the Greek is #3756 ou (oo); also (before a vowel) ouk (ook); and (before an aspirate) ouch (ookh); a primary word; the absolute negative [compare 3361] adverb; no or not:
This is the same Greek word used by Jesus when He was using the Law of Moses as an example.
Matt 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not #3756 commit adultery:
Does that mean that it is impossible to commit adultery? Of course not! The commandment in the Law was toward each individual person to not allow them self to commit adultery. It is the responsibility of each individual to comply with the commandment. The same is true for the prophecy of the future church. Jesus was commanding them beforehand that it would be the responsibility of the church to make sure that the gates of hell does not prevail against or overpower and derail the church.
Jesus then goes on in this prophecy and gives the Method of Operation (M.O.) by which the church would be designed and equipped to operate with a method which would prevent the gates of hell from overpowering this future church.
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
This is not a very complicated method of operation! If we examine the role of a “key” in our present life, we find only two uses or functions of a “key”. A “key” will either lock or unlock! That is it! How simple is that? We all use a “key” in our everyday life in the natural realm. That is not a complicated process for even a very young person to understand.
keys in the Greek is #2807 kleis (klice); from 2808; a key (as shutting a lock), literally or figuratively:
The root is #2808 kleio (kli'-o); a primary verb; to close (literally or figuratively):
As we all know, we can use a key to lock and to unlock. Think of the deadbolt on your house.
As we all know, we can open a lock and we can close a lock. Think of how many times we do this daily. This is the simple method of operation assigned and given to the church by the builder of the church the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. “Whatsoever thou shall bind on earth” is the function of the church here and now in the natural realm.
thou shall bind is from one Gk word #1210 deo (deh'-o); a primary verb; to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively):
Look at a few of the definitions for the word “bind” found in the American Heritage Dictionary.
Remember that we as the church, which is the body of Christ, have been assigned with the responsibility to carry out this binding process.
(AHD) bind v. bound (bound), binding, binds. -tr. 1. To tie or secure, as with a rope or cord. 2. To fasten or wrap by encircling, as with a belt or ribbon. 4. To hold or restrain with or as if with bonds. 5. To compel, obligate, or unite. 6. Law. To place under legal obligation by contract or oath. 7. To make certain or irrevocable. 11. To furnish with an edge or border for protection, reinforcement, or ornamentation. intr. 1. To tie up or fasten something.
If we go to the Interlineal Greek Bible, we find an interesting fact concerning “shall be bound in heaven”. “shall be” is not derived from (#1219 to bind) but is a different word.
shall be is #2071 esomai (es'-om-ahee); future of 1510; will be:
bound in heaven. As mentioned above, bound is also #1210 deo (deh'-o); a primary verb; to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively):
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:
A JWT rendition of that verse could be, “whatsoever you shall bind on earth will immediately afterwards be bound in heaven”.
We as members of the body of Christ, which is the church, use our dominion and authority on the earth with spoken word and then after we have done that, then the powers of heaven are released to partner with us and carry out whatsoever we bind. As we also know from the scriptures, the angels are ministering spirits and they hearken to “the voice of God’s Word”! We are the ones who must put “voice” to God’s Word and then the angels will swing into action on our behalf and handle the supernatural realm.
Ps 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
The same format is followed in the next part of the prophecy given by Jesus except we switch to “loose.”
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: --- and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
thou shalt loose is #3089 luo (loo'-o); a primary verb; to "loosen" (literally or figuratively):
(AHD) loose adj. 1. Not fastened, restrained, or contained. 2. Not taut, fixed, or rigid. 3. Free from confinement or imprisonment; unfettered. loose tr. 1. To let loose; release. 2. To make loose; undo. 3. To cast loose; detach. 4. To let fly; discharge. 5. To release pressure or obligation from; absolve.
This would bring to mind another statement by Jesus to His disciples i.e. the future church.
Luke 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power (#1849 authority) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
#1849 power given to the disciples is exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah); from #1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:
The KJV translates this word as; authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.
While Jesus was with His disciples on the earth He gave His disciples the authority (#1849) to overcome the miracle powers (#1411) of the enemy. They went out from Jesus and came back excited about the miracles they had performed and the fact that even the demons were subject to them.
power of the enemy is #1411 dunamis (doo'-nam-is); from 1410; force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself):
While on the earth, when Jesus had totally finished His work of defeating Satan and his kingdom of darkness, it was then that God the Father stripped the Devil of any and all legal right to hold man in the sin debt and forcibly operate on the earth through the dominion of mankind. The devil had gained that position through the fall of the first man Adam in the Garden of Eden.
Jesus, the last Adam, was preparing to ascend into heaven and to sit at the right hand of the Father. Before He ascended Jesus assigned and released all the authority, power and responsibility into the charge of the church, which is His body. Jesus had gained all authority and power in heaven and in earth and He gave the church the responsibility to continue that power and authority on the earth until He returns for His church. Wow! Heavy stuff.
Jesus told those witnessing His ascension, who would be the first future church members, to go and wait in the upper room until they were endued with power from on high. Of course we know that happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Notice how Jesus addressed His disciples a bit earlier after His resurrection from the dead.
Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power (#1849) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (#165 aion should be age). Amen.
All is #3956 pas (pas); including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole:
end is #4930 sunteleia (soon-tel'-i-ah); from 4931; entire completion, i.e. consummation (of a dispensation):
In Acts 1 the disciples were still expecting Jesus to set up His earthly kingdom according to the OT prophecies, which is all they had at that time.
They came to Jesus and asked Him about that very fact. Jesus told them it was not time as of yet for them to know the times and seasons hidden in God before the foundations of the world.
Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (#1849).
8 But ye shall receive power (#1411), after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
After the day of Pentecost, the times and seasons hidden in God, which are called the mysteries, began to be revealed to the Apostles, Prophets and the Saints. As the mysteries were revealed, the m.o. of the church also began to be taught and understood.
It took those people, who lived through the covenant change from the OT into the NT, a bit of time to grasp what had taken place. In fact Paul came along a bit later and was given the charge of bringing the mysteries to the knowledge of the church through his teachings.
The method of operation of the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant is totally different than the method of operation of the church under the New Covenant. Much of the teachings that have been received through churchology have kept us operating under the Old Covenant method of operation.
When we read the book of Hebrews, it is recorded that God found fault with that Old Covenant because the Old Covenant was totally based on the people keeping His Covenant. As we know from the scriptures, everyone under the Old Covenant came up short of the glory of God.
Since no one kept the Old Covenant, God sent His Son Jesus as a man to keep the Old Covenant and thereby making it possible for God to then take the Old Covenant of Law out of the way. The Son of God made it possible for a change to be made. The completed work of Jesus brought about the New Covenant established on better promises with Jesus, Himself, as the Executor.
Heb 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
The method of operation of the church is not that complicated when we use the scriptures to define that process. Let’s do that but first we must understand the position in which God found Himself after Adam and Eve failed and sinned in the garden!
In Genesis chapter one on the first day of restoration, the Lord separated the kingdom of light from the kingdom of darkness. The God of light forced all the kingdom of darkness into the subterranean, underworld or the abyss.
After full restoration of the earth, on the sixth day God created man and gave mankind complete dominion over all the earth. The Lord God also instructed the man to protect and guard the garden. Question! What or who was the man supposed to protect and guard the garden from???
The answer is, any entity or being or thing, which might come up from the subterranean underworld of darkness onto the surface of the earth with intent to offer or present any forbidden knowledge that exalts itself above the knowledge of God.
Mankind was given full dominion over all the earth and charged by the Lord to subdue it, guard it and to protect it.
Sadly Eve was the first to succumb to the tactics of bedazzlement by the Devil and partake of the fruit of forbidden knowledge. Then Eve gave the same fruit to Adam. Adam was not deceived but chose by an act of his will to also partake of the fruit of the forbidden knowledge. We know the scriptural assessment of this act.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that (Adam’s willful sin to partake) all have sinned:
When we study the scriptures from Genesis through Malachi, we find that no matter how much God was willing to help and assist Adam and his future descendants with miracle power, apart from the law, promises made, covenants, adding the law, statutes contained in commandments, raising up Godly called and appointed men and women, or anything else that God tried with mankind the summary of all mankind was the s
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
All the efforts by God to use mankind to eliminate the enemy’s authority on the earth had failed. The Devil had mankind in a sin debt and up to this point God had not been able to partner with man in any form or fashion in order to successfully eradicate the authority and power of the Devil to operate on the earth, which the devil had gained through the sin of Adam.
All of mankind ended up doing the same and committing sin just as our great ---- great grandfather Adam did. This failure of man left the Devil running rampant throughout the earth with his kingdom of darkness able to rule through mankind’s sin debt. Mankind could not pay the sin debt and free himself from slavery to sin.
We can see that God was in between a rock and a hard place. He had given dominion of all the earth into the control of mankind and mankind was yielding that dominion to the Devil and his tactics instead of yielding to God and His covenants of promise. Therefore, based on the actions of mankind, the Devil was oppressing the descendants of Adam with evil from the underworld and releasing the forbidden knowledge through mankind and into mankind.
Guess what? God pulled an end-around on the Devil and faked him out! God Sent an angel to a daughter of Adam named Mary and she agreed to conceive the Word, into which God would super naturally instill His Spirit to be the Father. Mary supplied the placenta and the Word was made flesh and born into the earth and named Jesus. Jesus was born the Son of God and the son of man. This made Jesus 100% legal to operate on the earth as a man.
The contest between Jesus, the son of man, and the Devil, who had gained authority through the first Adam to operate through mankind on the earth, was announced in the public list and the challenge was on. This was a no holds barred contest for total dominion and authority to rule in authority with power on the earth. As we know the first Adam failed!
God the Father bet the farm and the outhouse and everything else on the last Adam, i.e. Jesus. After Jesus matured into manhood and was baptized by John, we see the contest begin in earnest.
Matt 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matt 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
We see that Jesus was tempted for forty days with everything that the Devil had to use as he did with our great ------ great grandmother Eve. Jesus did not yield to any of those temptations. Now the Devil had to try some new tools with which to tempt, test and try Jesus in the challenge of the public list. Other People!
After the Devil failed in the personal contest in the desert, the Devil then begin to use religious people, governmental people, family, friends, loved ones, and wicked men to tempt, test and try Jesus in order to get Jesus to yield to his bedazzlement and tactics as he did with our great ----- great grandparents Eve and Adam. We now have the official photo finish and the legal time clock to give the True results of this contest in the public list between Jesus and the Devil.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
Jesus was tempted by the Devil with every sin and temptation that is known and common to mankind and yet did not yield to even ONE of these temptations by the Devil.
The first Adam yielded to one sin and his seed became tainted with sin and that sin nature passed to all men. Through that one sin by the first Adam, the Devil gained authority to operate his power from the underworld through fallen man onto the earth. Because of the sin of the first Adam, Adam was producing fallen offspring and descendants by his tainted seed, which were subject to the law of sin and death and in debt to sin.
The last Adam Jesus, also called the last man, was tempted in every know area of weakness and sin known to mankind and did not yield to even one temptation. This obedience of Jesus reversed the damage done to mankind and the earth by the first Adam. Jesus lived His whole life without yielding to one sin temptation offered to Him by the Devil. The success of Jesus reversed and cancelled any and all legal authority gained by the Devil through the sin of the first Adam to legally operate his kingdom of darkness on the earth through mankind.
Again, since Jesus rose from the dead, the Devil has no more legal authority to operate his kingdom of darkness on the earth!! One might ask, “Then why is all this wickedness happening on the earth now? It certainly seems that the Devil has the ability and power to operate on the earth! How many of us have looked around at the evil that is happening today? Jesus explained this to his disciples, who were the beginning core of the church, before He ascended into heaven.
Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power (#1849 should be authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Satan, the Devil, that old dragon has zero authority on the earth during this dispensation of grace
That is 0%! All authority belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ!!! However, once Jesus gained 100% authority, what did He do with it??? Jesus invested 100% of the authority, which He had regained on the earth, into the church, which is His body. The church began operating on the earth on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, after Jesus ascended into heaven.
Notice verse 20 above. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. By now, we should remember what Jesus commanded the core group of the future church in Matt 16!
Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus taught a commandment to His disciples, “Once the church begins to be built, never allow the gates of hell to prevail against or overcome the church”. This commanded teaching of Jesus was supposed to be taught as doctrine and follow the generations of the church and be passed down through the church age as long as the church was to remain on the earth.
Again, the Commandment of Christ: “The church shall not allow the gates of hell to prevail against or overcome the church!!” How many different flavors of churches have we attended in our lifetime? How many of those churches have truly taught us, with the “where rubber meets the road” teachings, how to make sure that the “gates of hell do not prevail against or overcome the church, which is the body of Christ”? We might be able to say correctly, Zero!
Well, give some thought to this, “what would that look like in reality”? What would be the mechanics or the “method of operation of the church” in order to successfully obey this commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ given to the church, “do not allow the gates of hell to prevail against or overpower the church”? What would a successful church look like?
With all the confusion that has been brought into the organization of church by denominationalism, it is very complicated to sort out all of this stuff and define what would be the true representation of a body of believers who would be complying with the commandment of the Lord Jesus, “do not allow the gates of hell to overpower the church”.
If we go back to Genesis, we will be able to see this process much easier and we will also be able to see that it is another point of simplicity of the Lord. After the Spirit of God had melted the ice, on the first day of restoration the Lord separated the kingdom of darkness from the kingdom of light.
Everything that was connected with Lucifer and his rebellion in heaven was cast to the earth and frozen. After the thaw, the first order of business by the Lord was to drive every evil entity of the kingdom of darkness underground into the abyss.
In order for the Lord to complete this process of separation, either He created the openings at that time in the surface of the earth into the underworld or those openings were already in existence.
In the scriptures, these openings into the underworld are labeled as, the abyss, the deep, the deepest pit, hell, hadaes or other dimensions of the kingdom of darkness.
All these labels end up referring to the means of access, doorways or gateways between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. These openings can be correctly referred to as gates, openings, doors, doorways, portals, star gates etc. These are the methods and pathways of entry of the evil entities of darkness onto the surface of the earth or into the atmosphere.
When we go back to Genesis we can clearly see that the Lord created man and gave mankind authority over all the earth. Question! Is the abyss or the underworld part of the earth? You can bet on it! This dominion included all the openings through which the Lord drove the entities of the kingdom of darkness into the underworld.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Okay, we know this! On the first day of restoration the Lord separated the kingdom of darkness from the kingdom of light by driving all the kingdom of darkness underground. The surface of the earth was totally cleansed of all the kingdom of darkness.
After complete restoration, toward the end of the sixth day the Lord created man. When we examine the commandment given to mankind, we see that man was charged to guard and protect the garden. Shouldn’t we ask our self, “against what”? There were only two people on the earth at that time! Was Adam commanded to guard and protect the garden against Eve? Was Eve commanded to protect the garden against Adam? Of course not! This is where we need a bit of Psalms 1 meditation.
The Lord walked in the garden with Adam and Eve and instructed them with so much more information and orientation, as how to operate in their habitation and how to operate in their authority on the earth, than we are given in the Genesis record.
In the Garden, the LORD God would have given Adam and Eve the same instruction that Jesus gave His disciplined followers in Luke 10:19. We know that because He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power (authority) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
The Lord told Adam and Eve of the rebellion of Lucifer and his angels and his attempt to overthrow the throne of God and also his demise of being cast to the earth. The Lord told them of how the Devil and his kingdom of darkness was frozen in the ice for a long time and then after the ice melted how the Lord separated the whole kingdom of darkness and drove them throw the gates, portals and openings into hell or the abyss.
The Lord also instructed them that if that rebel angel or any entity of the kingdom of darkness should raise its evil head back onto the earth with an attempt to overthrow their dominion on the earth, exactly how to deal with it. Simply use your dominion and authority and drive those entities back through the gates of hell to the underworld from where they came up. Remember the word of Jesus?
The dominion of Adam and Eve i.e. mankind in the garden included authority over all the power of the enemy i.e. the serpent, the Devil and his angels and demons. Adam and Eve were charged with guarding and protecting the garden from anything, everything or any entity that might come onto the earth and offer them something different or something opposite to the Word of Truth, which they had received from the Lord as He walked with in the Garden.
The question that we must ask now is, “Did Adam and Eve do that which the Lord instructed them to carry out in the garden”? Sadly, we must answer, “No they did not do that which the Lord instructed them to do”! By their disobedience to the commandment of the Lord, the Devil and his kingdom of darkness regained authority to operate freely from the underworld onto the earth and even into the atmosphere through the sin of the first Adam.
What should Eve have said to the serpent, when he came out of that portal onto the earth”?
She should have said, “I use my authority and dominion against you and I command you to go back through the gate of hell into the underworld from whence you came and don’t come back onto the earth again”! Instead she listened to the lies of the enemy and looked at his bedazzlements to the point that she believed exactly opposite of the Word of the Lord and partook of the forbidden knowledge fruit. The whole kosmos, or the Godly and orderly arrangement of the universe took a huge hit that day.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth as a man in order to destroy the works of the Devil! The works of the Devil are accomplished by his entities moving freely from the underworld of darkness onto the earth and into the atmosphere with full operations against Godliness and mankind. The Lord Jesus destroyed that legal right,which the Devil had gained through the sin of the first Adam.
I Jn 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Well, with this in mind, now let’s progress to Matt 16 and the instruction and orientation given by Jesus to the future church, which are the core disciples, which we now know would have its beginning on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
The question that we must ask our self now is, “In these almost 2000 years since the day of Pentecost, has the church, which is the body of Christ, done that which the Lord Jesus commanded the church to carry out against the gates of hell”? Sadly, we must answer, “No the church has not done that which the Lord instructed them to do”! The church has failed just like Adam and Eve!
Another question we must ask our self is, “Is it too late for the church to start”? The answer is, “No it’s not too late for the church to start”! The only problem we have is that none of the denominations or the non-denominations ever sent out a quarterly with instructions on “How to not allow the gates of hell prevail against the church”! Where is that manual?
Well, the war between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light began in Genesis 3.
From that point and throughout the scriptures, ending with Revelation, the holy scriptures contains the manual of how to make sure that the kingdom of darkness does not overpower the kingdom of light.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity (hostility, hatred) between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed (posterity, offspring); it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.
It is clear from the scriptures that the hostility and hatred between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light began in the Garden of Eden. It is also clear that the hostility and hatred would result in a “seed war” on the earth.
This war is for control over the earth and the inhabitants of the earth and would also include the atmosphere and the second heaven. That war between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light is still ongoing in this time, in which we are living.
Let’s set up the second part of this teaching with the question of, “With all that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished, who should be winning this war between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light?” The Answer should be, “the kingdom of light!”
The failure of the body of Christ to properly use their God given authority and power against the kingdom of darkness has allowed the devil to get his agenda established in many positions of influence around the world. We are continually being blasted with a narrative of “gloom and doom” and words with negative prognostications. By comparison, most believers receive so little of the Truth of the Word of God that we are not able to see and understand our authority and power over the kingdom of darkness. This lopsided information limits our ability to receive the gospel truth and we just expect everything to grow worse and worse. Then that which we say and do tends toward and leads to our expectation of defeat.
Jesus placed great confidence in the church, which is His body, to defeat the enemies of the kingdom of light and put it in His Word.
Heb 10:12 But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father “expecting” His enemies to be defeated and placed under His feet by the church. We also know that we are members of the body of Christ and that includes His feet. How many times have we heard (correctly), on the earth we are the Lords hands and we are His feet?
Should the body of Christ put the enemy under foot, what would that look like?
Here is one scriptural record of how it looked in the OT times.
Exod 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
5 The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.
6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
In order to prepare our understanding in this Truth, give this some consideration to some facts about war. We know that the natural realm is reflected by the spiritual realm! In the natural realm, “How are wars won?”
Grace and Peace multiplied in the name of Jesus.
Compiled by Jerry Thomas 11/20/18
All scripture references are (KJV) unless otherwise denoted.
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